The Escape from Azkaban and The White Tomb
by MrZ1289
Summary: With Lord Voldemort and Merlin in control of the Ministry of Magic and Harry, Xavier, and Hermione in Azkaban, the situation is bleak at best. Can this trio get out of prison and launch a new campaign against Lord Voldemort?
1. Imprisoned

_Time moved slowly in Azkaban. Almost daily, someone would come up and torture one of the prisoners. Each one of them spent most of their time sleeping. It was the only thing you could do that didn't involve large amounts of pain. Just being awake hurt. But, when they were forced to be awake, they spent their time planning their escape. In fact, they were nearly ready to execute it. However, they needed someone. Someone who couldn't spend a whole lot of time at the prison for fear of being discovered. The prisoners had learned that if they made a conscious effort to pool all their available magic, using an old magical theory Hermione had read about once, they could send out a Patronus message about once a month. The day before, they had sent what they hoped would be their last message from their cells. Now, they waited for their accomplice._

_Later that evening, they heard something from below them. Someone was coming up to visit. After going through the necessary security options, he was allowed up the stairs. He walked slowly, as though he did not want to attract attention to himself. Finally, he reached the top of the stairs and came into the center of the room._

_Clearing his throat, he spoke: "So, your plan is ready?"_

_It was Harry that replied. "Yes, we're ready. Are you ready to do your part.?"_

_He flipped his long, black hair over his shoulder and spoke over his elongated nose._

_"Yes, when the time comes to do my part, I will do it."_

_"Good." Xavier replied. "I wouldn't want to have to beat the hell out of you once we got out."_

_"Very funny. Alright, is everyone ready? Good."_

_Suddenly, Severus Snape pulled his wand out of his robe and waved his wrist. All three cells opened up instantly. Snape then pulled three other wands out of his robe._

_"They aren't yours, those are downstairs, but they will work for right now."_

_Everyone took a few seconds before Harry finally spoke up: "Alright everyone, let's go."_

SIX MONTHS EARLIER

Xavier, Harry, and Hermione were each grabbed underneath the arms and forcefully lead away from the Black Tomb. None of them had any plans of breaking away or making a run for it. Once they had heard of their fate, life in Azkaban, most of their brain shut off. The only part that remained working: survival. And in this case, survival told them to comply. Told them that they needed to go along with Lucius Malfoy and his Death Eater friends to the most frightening place on the planet: Azkaban Prison.

Suddenly, each of the Death Eaters turned, Apparating away and taking their prisoners with them. When they finally came to a stop, the smell of salt water exploded into them. Each one looked up and for the first time saw their place of imprisonment. Since the end of the Second Wizarding War, changes had been made to Azkaban. No longer was it necessary for Dementors to be placed anywhere on the island. Now, the once-straight tower had been changed to a giant spiral, shooting up into the clouds. There were two ways to the top, a Portkey placed at the bottom that would then teleport you to the top or to walk the unending spiral in hopes of finally reaching the clouds. From where they were standing, there were no cells to be seen. That's because they were all located in the top of the tower, far beyond the hope of sight.

Lucius Malfoy pushed the three towards the tower forcefully. Slowly, they made their way up the sloping hill of the island towards the dark tower. Eventually, they reached the base of the giant prison and were ready to make their ascent. Positioning themselves inside the tight spiral, they were each forced to grab a small token laying on the concrete below them. Feeling that familiar pull behind their navel, they attempted to brace themselves for the inevitable fall. Spinning and spinning, they finally came to their feet in a dark dungeon area. None of them could see anything. Then, suddenly, they were knocked off of their feet by something. Racing along the floor, albeit slowly because of their bindings, they attempted to make their escape. Unfortunately, the door to the room shut and any vision they had disappeared. They backed into a corner as they tried in vain to see around them. Then, someone spoke.

"This is priceless. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Xavier Mitchell hiding in a corner. I never thought this day would come." the voice said. The voice was dark and creepy, like a spider running up your back. The trio, already afraid for their lives, was thrown into a panic. Each of them recognized the voice, but wished that it wasn't true. Then, their worst nightmare came true, out of the darkness stepped Severus Snape, followed quickly by Antonin Dolohov.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Dolohov said, approaching the trio. "Do you know what this means, Severus? It means that the Dark Lord's return is complete and we now control England."

"How did you know about this?" Xavier demanded.

"It was quite simple. The Dark Lord explained to a small group of Death Eaters that if he should ever perish, he would not be completely lost. Somehow, in his travels early in his life, he became aquainted with a form of magic that could bring him back from Death. But, in order to bring him back, we would have to bring back the legendary wizard, Merlin, who was said to be lost. Eventually, we were able to locate his lost soul, hiding in a castle deep in a forest in Scotland. There, we were able to return him to corporal form. In return, he said that he would aid us in our quest to ressurect Lord Voldemort."

Silence shook the chamber. But, it was not the same silence throughout. Dolohov wore a face of victory and glee, while Snape face bore no emotion at all. The three in the corner, however, were even different still. All three held horror, but none so much as the face of Harry Potter. It had been his job to end the life of the Dark Lord Voldemort. He thought he had been successful. He had thought wrong.

Suddenly, someone burst up the stairs into the dark chamber.

"It is done." Lucius Malfoy said with a smile, as he walked into the light. "I have been informed by the Dark Lord that the Ministry of Magic is ours now, as is England. We have finally won."

"Thank you, Lucius. You are all free to leave. I have been given strict orders by the Dark Lord not to leave this prison until he says so. Unfortunately, this means that I must stay here for some time. I bid you all a good day."

Nodding their heads, Dolohov and Lucius left the trio and Snape alone in the dark tower. Snape then turned to the trio.

"How dare you get yourselves caught!? I knowingly sacrifice myself to stop that man and then, years later, I am brought back to life with the understanding that Lord Voldemort will somehow be returning to life and that the three of you, plus some others will be walking straight into a trap! Potter, I knew that you were dim-witted but this is ridiculous! Granger, you couldn't talk him out of it at all? And Mitchell, which one are you?" Snape ended angrily.

"Xavier."

"Seriously?? You were one of the brightest students I ever taught and easily one of the most talented wizards I had ever seen come through the school. How did you get roped up into this?"

"I'm the Headmaster at Hogwarts where Lord Voldemort's Tomb was and I was the leader of the new Wizarding Army charged to fight Merlin's troops."

At the mention of Merlin, Snape's pacing finally came to a stop.

"They buried the Dark Lord at Hogwarts? They made you Headmaster? A Wizarding Army? Merlin? Just what have I missed?"

So, for the next three hours, they filled Snape into the happenings of Wizarding England over the past year. Finally, Snape was finished. He stood from the stool which he had placed himself on at sometime in the evening.

"We need a plan to get you three out of here."

"Can't you just let us out now?" Harry asked.

"No, you fool. Then, Voldemort would know I had betrayed him and my new cover would be useless." Snape sniped back.

"Oh, so we're going with the whole 'I'm still on Lord Voldemort's side and Dumbledore's side' thing?" Harry replied sharply.

"Yes, currently, he believes that you lied to him about me. He thinks that I truly am loyal to him and I plan on being able to work that."

"Ok." Xavier chimed in, halting any future altercation that may have taken place. "We need a plan then. Any ideas?"

"Well, I have a crazy one." Hermione said.

"Well, it's better than none." Snape replied.

"What if we got Ron and Ginny to organize a task force to storm the island? I realize that there is no legitimate chance of them actually getting up here, but if they could provide enough distraction, maybe we could all get out unnoticed?"

"It's an idea. But, we need to do it in a way that no one knows we set it up." Harry added. "Because, otherwise, Voldemort and Merlin will know that Snape helped us. And unlike last time, I trust Snape not to betray us."

"Thank you." Snape added, coldly. "Well, plan. But, I must leave. The Dark Lord is summoning me. Not only was I dead, I thought I would never have to feel that horrible feeling on my arm ever again. It appears I was mistaken."

"We'll beat him." Xavier said boldly. "You guys managed to do it before. We'll do it again. But, I think this time, rather than worrying about the International Statue and all that mess, why don't we just go right at them?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Rather than sitting back and quietly scoring victories here and there, why don't we attack? We'll have the element of surprise. Voldemort still thinks we're afraid of him and Merlin has no idea the power we really possess. So, I say, that the second we get ourselves out of here, we go after them."

Snape turned abruptly to face the group, suddenly.

"There's only one problem with that plan. I can't get you out of here right away. The Dark Lord told me that I could only get out of here when he was perfectly certain there was no way of you escaping. This means a few things. First, for a while, I will be your main captor. Normally, I would just leave you up here to your devices. But, unfortunately, he is leaving Dolohov here and Malfoy will be checking quite often. This means that you three aren't going to get away with anything. You will be hurt and you will be tortured. You will be beaten, broken, and weakened to the point where you cannot possibly escape. Second, it means that you will be here for awhile. Probably six months at the very least. This actually isn't that bad, because Lord Voldemort has no plans of fighting a war. He has used his appearance change quite wisely. While internally he is still Lord Voldemort, on the outside and to the public, he is now Trenton Marcus Roper."

No one said anything for a few minutes as this information sank in. Not only were they going to be tortured for the next six months, their opponent's good fortune removed the one distinct advantage they had held. Xavier stood up.

"Severus, I want you to leave. But, before you do, I want you to use the Cruciatus Curse on me."

"Why would you want me to do that?"

"To show them you mean business with us. Those men down there probably don't entirely trust you. They've heard that Harry Potter, the man who killed their mentor, has been saying that you were one of Dumbledore's followers. They aren't sure who you really serve. Well, now you can prove it to them."

The four of them looked around the room momentarily, until suddenly, Snape wand hand plunged into his robes and pull out his wand: "_Crucio!"_

Xavier immediately fell to the floor, screaming, and rolling in agony. Tears ran from the eyes of Harry, Hermione, and Snape as they watched their friend roll on the floor in pain. Almost a full minute later, Snape finally let up and left.

Xavier's body almost sizzled. He slowly crawled to one of the mats up against the wall and laid himself there. Harry and Hermione quickly crawled across the room to tend to him. While they knew they really couldn't do anything, their concern helped Xavier greatly. He slowly sat up and simply said: "We need to get out of here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**_Sorry for the long delay guys. But, here it is. The sequel to Harry Potter and the Crescent Moon. _**

**_Hope you enjoy._**


	2. Despair

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No one remembered seeing light. Five months in the most secure prison on the planet will do that to you. None of them remembered what real food tasted like or what grass smelled like. The only thing they could remember was cold, hard rock and pain, lots and lots of pain.

Their days were entrenched in routine. Each morning at dawn, one of the many Death Eaters stationed there would barge into their cell, wand at the ready. Then, they would grab one of the three of them, usually Hermione or Xavier, and throw them across the room. Slowly, they would turn around and then attack. For what seemed like hours, they would assault their target. Then, once whoever was the attacker was satisfied, they would simply turn and leave. This would happen multiple times during the day. Xavier and Hermione thought that the fact that Harry was never tortured was a simple form of miscommunication between the different people who came up to have their fun, but Harry knew better. He knew that they were torturing him too. Each time they grabbed one of them and began imposing their will on them, Harry could feel part of his will to fight leaving. He knew that eventually they would have to get out, otherwise, he knew that he would lose the will to live.

The talk of escape had gradually declined. Each one of them knew that the chances of them getting out were almost non-existent. It had been tough to get out of Azkaban before and it was even worse now. But, every once in a while, the talk resumed.

"So," Xavier started. "Any new ideas?"

"Yeah, I could just jump out one of the windows downstairs." Harry said glumly.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded. "What happened to you? We've been in worse situations then this."

"We have!? I don't think I've ever been in prison before! I don't think we've ever let two madmen take over the country! I can think of about a thousand things we've done before and nothing has every been close to this bad!"

"You have to trust him, Harry." Hermione said calmly. "Snape is doing what he can to help us come up with a plan to get out, but he can't just waltz up here and get us out."

"Well, why not? It's time for him to pick a side and stick with it. I'm sick of him toeing the line all the time."

"Harry, I know what you mean," Xavier said. "But, we can't just go rushing into this. We're only going to have one chance for whatever plan Severus comes up with, so we have to make it work."

"I know. I just feel helpless. I feel like there is so much I could be doing out there." Harry said, tears streaming down his face."

Suddenly, the door to their cell creaked open. Each of them tensed up against the wall, brimming with fear about who may be coming up the stairs. It was with great relief they saw Snape's head emerge from the staircase.

"You three need to be quieter. I could hear what you were talking about from downstairs. If anyone gets a whiff of what I'm doing, I'll be up here with you. I managed to get a message to Ron and Ginny. They said that so far, they could plan on the following people for a rescue attempt: Ron, Ginny, George, Demelza, Draco, Zachary Rhine, Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom."

"Will that be enough?" Xavier asked apprehensively.

"Maybe. But, their going to all have to come fully prepared that they may end up switching places with you three." Snape replied.

"That isn't acceptable." Harry stated. "If that's what we get, we need a new plan. We need everyone out there. And once we get out, we need you out there too."

"You know that isn't possible. I have to stay here otherwise Lord Voldemort will get suspicious."

"I don't care! I am sick of one of the most accomplished and talented wizards ever sitting on the sidelines. If you don't join us when we get out, you're with them."

The air was thick with tension as the look between Harry Potter and Severus Snape could have caught water on fire. But, Severus knew the power that Harry Potter carried. Plus, he was the living word of Albus Dumbledore, his mentor.

"Fine. I will leave when you three get out. Anyway, back to the plan. Here is what we have. A small strike force hits the beach. At the same time, I come up here with three anonymous wands for you three. The group on the beach destroys everything they can see. When we get the signal that they have broken inside, we administer a small dosage of Polyjuice Potion to each of you, turning you into three Death Eaters from London. You will each have to play the part well. If someone from our side attacks you, you must return fire. Obviously, pull your shots, but attack nonetheless. Hopefully, we will meet up with the group in the Central Hall. From there, we can make our way out to the boats they came on. It's a basic distraction technique and I think it's your best shot."

No one spoke while everyone absorbed the plan. The risk for the plan of this kind was enormous. Whether they liked it or not, someone was probably going to end up left behind.

"Ok." Harry said. "When can we go?"

Severus stood up and made his way to the door: "Give it a week and I will organize them all. Until then, do nothing to upset anyone here. We are going to need you to be as healthy as possible."

With this, Severus Snape took up his cloak and descended the spiral staircase back down to the general prison.

"It's not going to work." Xavier said, as he got up to pace the room. "One way or another, someone from our side is going to end up here. Plus, no one knows that Lord Voldemort is out there. They think that some Roper guy is running the country. So, even if we get out, there's going to be nothing we can really do anyway."

"But we need to start sometime." Hermione stated. "We have to figure out some way to beat Lord Voldemort. But, we can't get ahead of ourselves. We need to get out of here first. We can't do anything else until we do that."

"I guess that's true." Xavier said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About a week later, things were the same. Still no word from Snape on the plans they had made, but at least no one had been up to torture them recently.

Quietly, the door leading to their spiral staircase opened. Instinctively, the three prisoners held their breath to see the results of who would be coming up their stairs. Everyone braced themselves with fear as the head of Antonin Dolohov emerged from the staircase. Once he reached the top, he reached inside his robe and pulled out his wand. With an impossibly quick flick of the wrist, Harry and Xavier were pinned up against the walls. Hermione did her best to stay strong as Dolohov turned his wand on her. Speaking at barely above a whisper, he attacked. Instantly, Hermione's body curled and writhed and rolled over the floor as the pain engulfed her. Tears ran wild from the eyes of Harry and Xavier as they were forced to watch their friend.

For what seemed like hours, Dolohov attacked. He would let her go and let her recover, just to attack her again. The little light that broke into the room disappeared as day turned to night. Never before had any of them been tortured this badly. Eventually, Dolohov quit and, to everyone's relief, looked to be finished as he put his wand away. He turned and made his way to the staircase, when he stopped. Slowly, he turned back around, eyeing Hermione.

"I don't think he would mind." Dolohov said quietly to himself. He slowly made his way towards Hermione, a wild look in his eyes. Hermione lay on the floor, unable to move aside for a few involuntary shutters of pain. When he reached her, he knelt down beside her and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

"NO!!" Harry screamed. "YOU DON'T TOUCH HER!! YOU DON'T EVER TOUCH HER, YOU FILTHY LITTLE BASTARD!!"

The look in the eyes of Harry Potter was deadly. It was no secret to anyone that he would kill Antonin Dolohov with his bare hands if he had to.

Dolohov stood slowly and made his way to Harry. A quick movement and his fist lay deep within Harry's stomach. Harry knelt to the floor, all the air that used to lay within him was gone. But, this was the opportunity they had asked for. Dolohov, in his anger, had lost his focus and accidentally released Xavier and Harry from their invisible prisons.

With this new freedom, Xavier launched himself across the room at Dolohov, grabbing him from behind. While Hermione lay beaten on the floor and Harry was left gasping for air, Xavier fought off Antonin Dolohov. Catching him by surprise, and being a superior athlete, Xavier beat Dolohov into submission. Once he had Dolohov on the floor, he pinned him underneath his weight and began punching him in the head. One, two, three, four, five times he hit him in the head. Eventually, Harry lost count of the number of times he heard Dolohov's head hit the floor, but a quick look up told him everything. Xavier was covered in blood. Both of his hands and his shirt were stained with the blood of what was left of the man below him. Where a head used to be was a useless clump of bloody flesh, completely unrecognizable.

Finally, Harry was able to get up and pull Xavier off of him. The body of Antonion Dolohov twiched repeatedly for the next few minutes until it finally lay still. Tears ran red on the face of Xavier and Harry. For quite some time, no one spoke. Then, finally, Xavier spoke up.

"The next time we see Severus, we need to tell him to speed things up. I can't stay in here any longer. I'll go nuts. I just killed a man with my bare hands. A man who I had no prior contact with. The next time we see him, we tell him we move the next day."

"Ok, Xavier." Harry replied quietly.

The door to the stairs rushed open and a wave of people ran up the stairs. The first two people knelt down to check on the corpse. Everyone else raised their wand at them, ready to attack.

"Put your wands down."

Severus Snape emerged from the back of the crowd, waving everyone's arms down. The look on his face was one everyone recognized. It was a look of disgust.

"So, you decided to attack back? Well, I must say it took longer than I expected. Either way, I believe we will call the Dark Lord to come and take care of this. How does that sound to you?" he added with a smile.

Xavier stood and removed the bloody shirt he was wearing.

"Severus, I know that you have been dying to do it yourself anyway. So, have at it. But, first, send these men away. They don't have any reason to be here." Xavier said, a knowing look in his eyes.

Severus stood there, returning Xavier's icy stare, until he suddenly spoke up: "Everyone get out of here."

Slowly, everyone but Snape and the trio filed out of the room, each with a furtive look at the remaining group. When the last person left, Snape turned to the rest of them. The look of disgust on his face left and one of fear had replaced it.

"Do you know what he'll do to you? Ending up dead is the least of your concerns. By the time, He's through with you, you'll ask for it." Snape said as he slowly paced the room.

"That's why we're putting the plan in motion. This weekend. We need to get out of here soon or the next time, I'm taking his wand and I'm doing a whole number of bad things to the people down there." Xavier stated.

"We can't go this quickly. Your friends aren't ready. They need more time." Snape begged.

"They're out of time. We need out. Now."

No one spoke for quite some time. Eventually, Harry turned to Snape.

"We need out of here. Xavier's right. I can't wait in here any longer, knowing that he's out there, hunting down our friends."

"Ok. I'll let them know, but just so you know, you guys are going to have to hurt some people to get out of here alive. And you may have to leave some of your friends here."

Xavier stood up and faced Snape: "We know. It's a risk we're willing to take."


	3. Escape

No one had slept for the better part of two days, waiting for the weekend. Everyone knew that there was really only two possible results for this: escape or death. Each day, Snape had snuck a small amount of time into their cells to go over the plan one more time. Finally, the day of the planned breakout came and Snape made his way up to the cell for hopefully the last time. When he got there, the three cellmates sat against the far wall, each staring at the floor. None of them seemed to notice his presence, until finally Snape cleared his throat, scaring the trio.

"Good morning," Snape said quietly.

"Morning," the three mumbled quietly.

"So, for the last time, here is the plan. Don't interrupt me. At sundown, Weasley will arrive here with his gang. At that point, you will need to be away from this wall, because hopefully, one of them will be blasting this wall. At this point, everyone downstairs will assume that you will be making some sort of attempt to go out the hole in the wall. But, I will have already placed you under a Disillusionment Charm. When everyone has left up here, I will reimagine you so you can see each other. After that, you will be given wands for the general lockup. We have a couple things we have to do before we leave. First, we need to turn off the anti-Apparation net around the prison, which can only be done by me. But, I have to wait until you three can leave before we do that. Also, we have to go get your wands out of the prison vault, which is going to be incredibly tough, because those guards don't leave for anything. Then, once we have that done, I will escort you to the beach, where I will turn off the Net and we can Apparate out of here. Any questions?"

No one said anything. They had all heard the plan enough times to recite it from memory. But, that was the point. It had to be perfect. Otherwise, there was no way out. Snape stood and made his way to the stairs.

"You have about twelve hours. Prepare yourselves."

And he was gone.

The silence didn't break for nearly two hours. During that time, each of them at some point had stood and wandered to the window, looking for the sun. They would only be able to see at the start of the sunset, the time for their plan. Finally, Harry spoke up.

"We need to be perfect."

Xavier and Hermione looked at each other and then back at Harry, who had stood, a determined look on his face.

"There can be no mistakes. If we make a mistake, either we or someone we know and care about dies. So, we have to be perfect. Otherwise, there's no point in even trying."

"We know." Xavier replied. "If you think that we don't know that, you're out of your mind. Some of Voldemort's most dangerous men are here, along with Snape, who may attack us if he decides not to blow his cover. But, either way, we need this. We can't stay here any longer. So, if we have to be perfect to get out, then we're perfect. But don't think that we don't know that."

Hermione looked at Harry and said: "What he said."

Finally, the sun came into view and the three cellmates went to their individual cell doors. Each of them knew what the price of failure was. They also knew that Snape would blame them if something went wrong. While he had done all the fine tuning to the plan, he had never considered it his own. He always had thought it was their plan. But, they knew that they were ready to go.

Eventually, they heard something from below them. Someone was coming up to visit. After going through the necessary security options, he was allowed up the stairs. He walked slowly, as though he did not want to attract attention to himself. Finally, he reached the top of the stairs and came into the center of the room.

Clearing his throat, he spoke: "So, your plan is ready?"

It was Harry that replied. "Yes, we're ready. Are you ready to do your part.?"

He flipped his long, black hair over his shoulder and spoke over his elongated nose.

"Yes, when the time comes to do my part, I will do it."

"Good." Xavier replied. "I wouldn't want to have to beat the hell out of you once we got out."

"Very funny. Alright, is everyone ready? Good."

Suddenly, Severus Snape pulled his wand out of his robe and waved his wrist. All three cells opened up instantly. Snape then pulled three other wands out of his robe.

"They aren't yours, those are downstairs, but they will work for right now."

Everyone took a few seconds before Harry finally spoke up: "Alright everyone, let's go."

Each of them grabbed a wand and stood off the side. Snape turned to face them and with three quick waves of his wand all three of them vanished from sight. Suddenly, the wall behind them exploded, with parts of brick flying everywhere. Seconds later, three men blew the door to their cell open and made their way up the stairs. The first one up turned to Snape.

"Where did they go!?"

"I'm not sure! The wall just blew up and they were gone!"

Just as the man started to say something else, he collapsed and his two associates quickly followed him. Just as quickly, all three of them were brought back to sight with Xavier's wand at the ready.

"What did you do that for!?" Snape yelled.

"He had his wand in his other hand! He was going to curse you, you fool! I just saved your life! Now, we need to get out of here." Xavier replied snidely.

"Alright, then. Let's go." Snape replied without emotion.

The four wizards made their way down the stairs to the door below. Snape turned to the other three.

"The room outside of this is going to be nearly empty. From there, we need to head down the left hallway to the Vault. Your wands are there. There will be three guards, one of which I believe is Lucius Malfoy. Don't get cocky. Just attack and go. Are you ready?"

All three nodded their heads, wand ready. Seeing their confirmation, Severus turned back to the door and opened it. The room was completely spherical with a single bridge across the way. In the middle of the bridge was a small platform with a desk, where they assumed guests were supposedly checked in, that is, if they would have been allowed guests. But, this wasn't what was surprising. On the other side of the bridge stood three men, each with their wands pointed across towards them. One stood tall with flowing white hair, another the same height with the same white hair, but it was the man in the middle who was noticed. He had shaved off his beard and trimmed his hair to nearly nothing since their last meeting. But, regardless, it was all in the eyes. In life or death, bearded or shaven, no one could mistake the glare of Lord Voldemort.

"Severus," Lord Voldemort said quietly. "You disappoint me. While I always knew of your love for that pathetic Muggle and while I always knew that you had tried to help Dumbledore after her death, I never actually thought that you would act out against me."

"I can surprise everyone," Snape said with a smirk.

"Apparently. Now, Harry, Xavier, and Miss Granger, is this the best that the world's greatest wizards can muster? A simple diversion plan? You could not have possibly thought that I did not have eyes on you or Severus at all time." Voldemort said with a smile upon his face.

"No, we didn't." Harry said. "But, we figured a second distraction might be in order."

"Oh really," Lord Voldemort quipped. "How so?"

"_Stupefy!"_ came the cry from behind Lord Voldemort.

He turned to see Ron and Ginny Weasley, red light emitting from their wands. The two curses combined to hit Lord Voldemort in the chest, sending him flying backwards. He landed on the platform with a loud, echoing crack. Harry and the other prisoners raced forward, wands pointed at the Dark wizard.

"We need to end this now." Harry stated, as he leaned forward to perform the deadly curse. Suddenly, spells came flying from up the spiral staircase that lay ahead of them. They looked to see Death Eaters pouring up the stairs to get them. But, when they turned to run back towards the tower, they saw Death Eaters who had levitated themselves to the top of the tower and come in the hole in the wall. They were completely surrounded.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, pointing his wand at Lord Voldemort, "_Rennervate."_

Voldemort's eyes snapped open. Gingerly, he brought himself back onto his feet, eyes on fire toward the group in between the Death Eaters on either side.

"I thought it was brave for Potter to attack me once. He at least had a shred of talent. But, his best friend and his best friend's sister? It's almost funny how pathetic your attempt was. Did you really think that those two would stop me? You may have beaten me once Potter, but it will not happen again!" Voldemort shouted.

Harry turned to Snape, "Can you turn of the Net silently?"

Snape slowly nodded a reply and waved his wand quickly under his robes. Suddenly, a loud siren sounded.

Voldemort stared at Snape. "You seriously thought that I would just make it so you could get rid of the Net? I think you all underestimate me. AND I AM NOT TO BE UNDERESTIMATED! The Net can only be turned off once a day and it only lasts for ten minutes. So, make it good."

"Very well." Snape curtly replied.

BOOM!

The platform they had been standing on suddenly exploded into nothing. Snape, the escapees, and their allies began to fall towards the bottom of the large, spherical room. Through each of their heads ran a silent prayer. A prayer that somehow, someway, they would survive this fall. Suddenly,each of them quickly felt a tug from behind their navel and with a turn, they were gone.

As he fell to the ground, he had to wonder: _where am I? _Looking around, he did not notice his surroundings. Just as he was about to ask, a snide voice answered his question.

"For those of you that don't know, we are down the hallway from the Vault. Once we get your wands out of the Vault, we can leave." Snape said.

"What happened?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I turned the Net off. Then, when given the opportunity, I blasted a hole into the floor below us. As we fell, I conjured a rope that acted as line between each of us, so that when I Apparated, we all would come. Then, we came here."

There was silence abound as each of them silently counted their blessings. Severus Snape had saved them. The man whom everyone had assumed was against them, the one man who Harry Potter hated had saved them.

Harry made his way to Snape. "What kind of security should we expect?"

"Some spellwork that I will need to figure out because it requires the mark of a Death Eater and some guards, 3 or 4 at most."

"How strong will we be with these wands?" Xavier asked.

"Considering how long you have been held captive and the fact that those wands aren't yours, not strong. Fortunately, you are not children and are likely to be smarter than the guards of this place, so that shouldn't be that big of a problem." Snape replied.

Xavier turned to Harry. "Did that sound like half of a compliment to you or am I just imagining things?"

"I wouldn't consider it a compliment as much as him not insulting you." Harry answered with a small smile, the first he'd had in months.

"I'm fine with that." Xavier replied, with a smile just as large as Harry's.

"Would you two shut up!?"

"Fine." they said in unison.

"When we turn the corner, an alarm will go off. From there, we have thirty seconds. Stun the guards and I will work out the spells that Malfoy has put over the Vault." Snape ordered.

"Which one?" Ron said glumly.

"Lucius. If Draco had done it, I would already know how to beat it." Snape said, looking almost dejected.

"Why is that?" Ginny asked.

"Because Draco was the one who has been contacting the outside world for me. He's still very much on our side. Did you see that the only spell he fired back there hit someone that was attempting to attack you, Harry?" Snape stated.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Harry said. And that was the end of that.

"Is everyone ready?"

The silence told him everything. Quickly, they rounded the corner and blasted the guards with spells. They never even had the opportunity to lift their wands. Each of them slunk to the ground, baring the effects of multiples hexes and curses. They all stepped forward when a maniacal laugh was heard.

"Who's there?" Harry asked.

"........hehehehe. Oh, dear brother, how did you think you could escape from the clutches of Lord Voldemort?"

Rich Mitchell suddenly waltzed out from the darkness of the Vault. He looked different than their last fateful duel in the Atrium. The scar on his eye had been joined by two others on his neck. His head was shaven and his beard was wild and untamed. No one spoke until Rich spoke up again.

"hehehe....What?....What do you think, my dear brother? Do you like my new look? I know it must be startling for you, since you haven't even visited me in months. Oh, wait, that's right. You were in prison, weren't you?"

Suddenly, Xavier stepped forward and launched his silent attack. Rich parried and the duel began. Rich had improved immensely since their last meeting, Xavier noted. Unfortunately for Rich, he still didn't match Xavier, not even with a bad wand and a body weakened from captivity. Rich fought almost the entire duel in defense. In the rare chance that he actually got to attack, it never even got to Xavier. The pace that Xavier set for the duel was ridiculous. Everyone watching him knew that they were watching the greatest living duelist in the world. He never spoke. He never blinked. He never backed down. He just kept pushing onward and attacking.

Within minutes, Xavier had slowed things down. He didn't need to keep pushing himself anymore. Rich was exhausted and could barely stand up. So, Xavier took to taunting.

"Severus, I think you can go open the Vault now." Snape stepped forward and began performing the magic to open the vault. "What's wrong, Rich? I thought that greatest wizards in the world had taught you? If they were the greatest, then why can I beat you so easily? They just must not be very good teachers."

Rich looked with desperation. He knew that he was beaten. He knew that his brother was better and he knew that if someone didn't stop him, his brother would kill him very soon.

Within seconds, the Vault opened. Severus rushed in grabbed everything. He passed out the wands and cloaks and robes back to their respective owners. Then, he tossed Xavier his real wand. Xavier could feel the new power coursing through his whole body. It was as if the wand was reenergizing him. He then turned to Rich.

"You killed our mother. You killed our father. _You killed my brother._ All for what? A chance to rule? Do you think those two are going to let you rule anything? It's your choice. But, I will let you know. You are never allowed back. Not after what you've done. You can't come back. If I see you again, ever again, I will kill you. Just leave."

A loud swoosh down the hall let the group know that Lord Voldemort had caught up with them.

"Well, I guess it's time to leave." Harry said.

They all grabbed their belongings and with a turn, they were gone.


	4. The Burrow

_**A/N: The next four chapters all take place at relatively the same time**_

_**The POVs are as follows:  
Ron  
Hermione  
Harry  
Xavier**_

We barely made it out. I can remember turning around as a wall of light came flying at us. If we hadn't Apparated out when we did, half of us had been dead.

.......speaking of which.....

"Where is everybody?" I asked as Ginny landed next to me.

"Not sure. We never really told everybody where to Apparate to. Just to get the hell out of there." she said, a glum look on their face.

As if someone had heard them, a stag came flying through the window nearest them. It floated over to where they stood and opened its mouth, where the unmistakable voice of Harry Potter rang out: "_I'm ok. I'm home. Don't come for me. Get out of there."_

Ron turned to Ginny, "Well, he always did have a good sense of timing."

"Shut up, Ron. We need to get everyone out of here. Where is everyone?"

"Well, it is the middle of the night, isn't it? They're probably all asleep." Ron said innocently.

"Asleep? Ron, don't be stupid. They all knew what we were going to do. I doubt they're sleeping."

Again, as if someone was listening (and in this case, they most certainly were), Molly Weasley nearly knocked the kitchen door of its hinges as she opened. Seeing her two children, she moved briskly across the room and grabbed each of them, holding her close.

"Oh thank goodness you're back! I was getting worried!" she said, tears in her eyes.

"Getting worried, Mum? We were going to go brake Harry out of Azkaban and you were only _getting_ worried?" Ron asked.

"Ok, so I've been worried for awhile. How did it go?" she asked.

"Fine." Ginny replied quickly. "Everyone got out. The only problem is the only person we know is back and safe is Harry. He sent his Patronus just after we got back."

Suddenly, an otter came flying around the corner into the kitchen and launched itself onto the kitchen table. Just as Harry's had done before, it opened its mouth and spoke in the voice of their dear friend: "_I'm back home. I'll be leaving here tomorrow. Should be safe 'til then. Get out of there now."_

Again, another warning. Ron and Ginny were not surprised. It had not been a month ago that the most awful stranger came calling to their front door.

_Mr. Weasley had been home when someone knocked gently on the door. He swiftly rose from his rocking chair and made his way to the door. But, when he opened the door, his gasp and subsequent lack of breath had been noticeable. At the door stood a tall man with long black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He had recently been named Minister of Magic after the previous was declared an enemy of the state by the Wizengamot. His name was Trenton Marcus Roper. Most the world had simply believed his story that he had never really considered politics until the Wizengamot asked him to take his spot and that he had previously held jobs in other countries for the Ministry, which explained why no one had really ever seen him before. But for a man like Arthur Weasley, one of the longest termed employees of the Ministry of Magic, he knew something was up. But, when he saw Roper up close, when he saw those eyes, he knew. Because for someone who had been at the Battle of Hogwarts, he knew. Somehow, someway, Lord Voldemort was back._

_Roper's voice was surprisingly gentle when he spoke up, "You must be Arthur Weasley. I assume you know my name, but introductions are no doubt in order. My name is Trenton Roper, the new Minister of Magic. I know that this is quite a surprise, but would it be an inconvenience if I came in and spoke with your family for a few minutes?"_

_It took Arthur a few minutes to find his voice. "Yes, of course." he finally said. He then turned and made his way back to the living room. Then, he turned back to Roper. _

_"I'm going to go gather up my family. I'm sure they'll all want to meet you." Mr. Weasley said._

_"Of course. I shall wait here." Roper said with a knowing smile on his face._

_Arthur ran up and down the stairs, poking his head into each room and giving the same message: "Meet on the landing. Bring your wands."_

_About ten minutes later, everyone in the family was there. Arthur made his message short._

_"You-know-who is in the living room. He's the new Minister of Magic, Roper. Don't say anything. Do anything you can to not think of anything. If he attacks, then we retaliate but not until then." he said._

_They made their way down the last set of stairs to the living room, where Roper was seated. He stood and approached each of the members of the family._

_"You must be Molly. The pleasure is all mine, of course. George, I've wanted to meet you for some time. Quite a profit you must be making in the shop of yours. Ron, of course, one of the legendary friends and travelers with **Harry Potter**." Those last words almost came out with a sneer, but Roper did a good job of hiding it. "Ginny, one of the most accomplished young witches of this era. Bill, Gringotts, right? Of course. Finally, Charlie. How is your break from Romania?"_

_The Weasley family stood in shock as they were greeted by their mortal enemy. He turned and made his way back to his seat when he suddenly turned and simply said: "Sit."_

_Instantly, each member of the Weasley family was forcibly placed in the seat nearest to them. The looks on their faces expressed one of fear and terror. They knew they were now at the mercy of the Darkest Wizard of their era. He took his seat and leaned back a smile on his face. As if reading their minds, he spoke up._

_"No, I am not going to kill you. If I had wanted to kill you, I would have without you ever knowing. I am sure you all know who I am, so I will spare you the useless introduction. You obviously know that I am now in complete control of the Ministry of Magic. In the past, you would have made it your business to unseat me from my place of power. But, for some reason, whether it be a change of heart or fear for your friends in Azkaban, you have not. I don't care the reason. I just wish to know that my place on top of the Wizarding World in secure. So, I shall offer you a deal. If you remain in the country where I can watch you and you continue to remain uninvolved in any activity that could be deemed offensive to me, I shall spare you. However, the second I get word that the Weasleys are planning something, such as an breakout of the prisoners at Azkaban, I will come and torture and kill all of you. Do I make myself clear?"_

_Silence took hold of the room. No one spoke. No one moved. No one took a single breath. Quickly, Lord Voldemort stood and turned towards the door. He reached for the door handle and then inexplicably stopped. He turned to the family, wand drawn._

_"Don't forget."_

_Then, the front door was flung open and just as quickly as he was there, he was gone._

Ron had never been that close to Lord Voldemort. Sure, he had seen him his fair share of time, but nothing had prepared him for being that close to him. To be able to see the light in his eyes, to hear his voice, to feel his breath was awful. He hoped to never again be that close to Lord Voldemort.

He knew that Voldemort would be here soon or at least some of his men would be. The Burrow, whether they got out or not, had probably seen its last days. If they weren't there when his men got there, it would probably be burned to the ground.

Ron turned to his mother: "We have to go. _Now._"

"Alright, let's get moving. EVERYONE! KITCHEN! NOW!"

Noise exploded from around the house. Feet hit the floor hard and ran down the stairs. Every member of the Weasley family (and any significant others) had been instructed to stay at the Burrow, waiting for their time to leave. Where the kitchen had been quiet just moments before, it was now noisy and jam packed full of people. No one could stop talking it seemed. Finally, Ron got everyone's attention with one well-timed blasting curse. CRACK!

"Thanks. Ginny and I were successful in extracting Harry, Hermione and Xavier from Azkaban. Lord Voldemort met us there. He is undoubtedly on his way here as we speak. So, Fleur, your family is ready for us?"

"Oui."

"Alright. And I'm sure Vikky, er, Viktor is ready as well. So, Mom, Percy, George, Ginny, and Charlie, you guys are going to his place in Bulgaria. George, you remember what it looks like right?"

"Of course."

"Good. Then, Dad, Bill, Fleur, and I will go to Fleur's place in France. Hermione is going to meet us there."

The reality of their situation came over them. They knew that this would be the last time any of them saw this place as it stood. They would return one day, no doubt. But, they would have to rebuild it. The Death Eaters were going to come and they would destroy it or burn it down or whatever they fancied at the time.

They also knew they were separating their family. They knew that it was for the best but that didn't make it any easier. They knew that for the first time, they were running away. They had no choice. But, again, that didn't make anything any easier. They knew they would be back. They knew that eventually, they would all be back to fight Lord Voldemort once more, but that didn't change the fact that they were going to go hide from him.

Suddenly, a voice boomed out for all to hear: "SORRY ABOUT YOUR HOUSE!"

Instantly, flames took up the whole upstairs for the house. Ron took the lead.

"EVERYONE, OUT NOW!!"

The family ran to the back door as the flame multiplied in size before their very eyes. When they were finally out of the house, they turned to see the entire house, engulfed in flames. Nothing anybody could have possibly said to them could have prepared them for this.

"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Molly Weasley cried out as she ran back towards her house, wand ready. She did her best to put out some of the smaller flames, but it was no use. The Burrow, in just a matter of minutes, would be gone. When she saw that there was nothing she could do, she sank to her knees, sobbing.

Then, the same voice called out softer but no less aggressive: "You thought that you could get away from the grasp of Lord Voldemort. There is nowhere that is out of his grasp."

The Weasley family turned to see Rich Mitchell walking toward them. But, it was not his whole they were looking at, but rather the large tattoo on his left forearm.

Noticing their stares, he spoke up.

"Like it, do you? I've been made the newest of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. Pretty fancy, huh? Do you know what he sent me here to do? Do ya? He sent me here to kill you. To kill you for breaking out that intolerable brother of mine and his friends. I don't think that should be a problem. Now, just hold still."

His wand was quick, as always. Luckily, Ron sprang up and beat him to it. Their two curse collided in mid-air, causing a massive explosion. Rich looked surprised.

"Wow, Weasley. I really wasn't expecting that. I always thought that since you were Potter's right hand man, that you couldn't do anything for yourself. Seems I was wrong."

Ron's face showed no emotion. He simply turned his head to his family and said: "Go."

His father was the one who spoke up: "What about you?"

Ron's reply was simply: "I'll meet you in France."

Ron's dad nodded and with a blink of an eye, the Weasley family disappeared.

Neither man spoke for a time. They just stared. Then without warning, each launched their assault. Red and blue and white and green touched the air between the two men. Neither was particularly graceful, not like Xavier or Lord Voldemort. No, these were two men whose styles were based on power and strength and they knew it. They knew that neither of them could last long in a duel and that eventually, one of them would hit the other.

They continued on and on. Neither backed down. Ron struck first. His Cutting Curse got to Rich on the arm. He cried out and fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. But, not wanting to give in, he got back up and returned fire. The light from the house and the curses contrasted the darkness of the midnight sky. Stars dotted the sky. It was a beautiful night. Below the stars, Rich hit Ron with a Blasting Curse. His leg collapsed on itself as he too fell to the ground. But, defying all odds, he managed to quickly mend it and continue the duel.

Seconds passed by in a flash, seconds turned to minutes, and minutes into well over an hour. Both men were tired, cut, bruised, and battered. But, neither wanted to give in. One had always been overshadowed by his perfect older brother, the best Auror of an era and the newest of a line of fine Headmasters of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The other, the best friend and right-hand man of the savior of the Wizarding World. Each had been looked over for another for most of their life. So, each wanted to be the hero. Be the one who was victorious. Be the one who held the limelight.

As they continued, the light of an early morning sun crept over the horizon. The house that lay that had long turned to embers and ash. It lay there, a smoldering ruin. But, still, even as late as it was getting, neither man would dare back down. The duel was slower now. Neither could move and they had almost no energy left. They could hardly stand. Rich cast a weak Stunning Spell at Ron, then he fell to the ground, unable to fight any longer. For Ron, that was enough. He gave a quick turn and was instantly in France, satisfied with a great victory of his opponent.


	5. Home

**_A/N: Again, this chapter starts just after the escape from Azkaban. We get to hear from one of the prisoners this time._**

The light hit her in the face. During her time in Azkaban, Hermione had forgotten what it felt like. What it felt like to feel its warmth, to see the light. The only real light she had seen for three months of that of a candle lantern that someone had carried in when they came into torture them in the middle of the night.

It took her a few seconds to get adjusted to the light, but when she could finally see, she had never seen anything better. It had never been a very large home. Just something that her Mum and Dad had bought when they first got married and never moved out of. They had always talked about moving into something larger but it had never happened. They couldn't bare to separate themselves from it. It was a home and nothing they could say or do would change that.

Her dad had apparently missed some spots when he mowed the lawn last. The paint on one of the shutters was starting to peel and another had fallen off entirely. Other than that, the house seemed to be perfectly fine. I walked up the short gravel path toward the path when I noticed something was awry. The front door was open. Her mum was a complete nut about that. If she even suspected that the front door was open, she would go running across the house and check it and she was almost always right.

Hermione slowly made my way closer to the door, pulling her wand out of her raggedy robe very slowly. As she reached the front door, she took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she may see inside. Just as she expected, the whole house was turned upside down. The small chandelier that had previously hung in the entrance lay in the middle of the floor. Huge holes were blasted in all of the walls. The kitchen was a mess. There was a giant hole in the bay window that had been at the end of the room. When Hermione looked out the window, she saw what had caused it. The refrigerator lay in the middle of the backyard, along with about half of what had previously been in the house.

Hermione spent nearly an hour scouring the house before she finally came to the conclusion that her parents weren't here. But, where were they? Just as she had thought of it, she heard the noise of Apparation behind her. She turned with her wand pointed to see Zachary Rhine standing behind her.

"Why hello Hermione," he said.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Well, when we heard that you had gotten out, we assumed you would come here. Do you like what we've done with the place?" he said with a smirk.

One look at her face told him his answer.

"Why did you do this?" she snapped again.

"Well, it wasn't intentional. When Draco came back from the Tomb that night, he told us everything that had happened. Well, as our leader, you remember those meetings we had with the New Order and how we kind of went with that whole "no man left behind" thing? When we heard you had been captured, we decided to start working to get you out. But, we figured in the meantime, we could get your family out of harm's way. Since Potter and Xavier don't have any biological family, we made sure that yours was safe first before. Then, we went and made sure the Weasleys were safe, since they were the next logical target for Voldemort."

Hermione understood the plan completely, but there was something that still bothered her.

"What happened here and where are my parents?"

Zachary smiled.

"Lucius Malfoy is what happened here. We were in the process of getting your parents out of here, Draco and I, when he showed up."

"Wait, Draco Malfoy was helping getting my parents out safely?" Hermione said, disbelieving.

"Yeah, Draco has changed a lot since school. I think back then he would have been glad to be where he's at. Now, he was nothing to do with his dad or whoever he supports."

"I know, I know. It still feels weird. Anyway, you were saying?" Hermione asked expectedly.

"Right. Needless to say, he was pretty upset to see Draco supporting us. So Draco and Lucius started to get into it. It got pretty ugly as you can see. Lucky for me, I was able to get your parents out. Unlucky for Draco, he was beaten by his dad when I distracted him, telling him it was time to get out. Since then, Lucius has kept Draco under lock and key. Basically, the only way he gets out is if he continues to support Voldemort and Merlin. We need to get him out."

Hermione nodded. "I agree. Regardless of my feelings for him, he is an incredibly important part of our movement. When everything is back in order for us, we'll get him out. But, that's neither here or there right now, again I ask, where are my parents?"

Zachary's smile grew. "Oh, they're right out back. We've put up all kinds of security around them. We figured that if you ever gotten out of Azkaban, you would come here. We put the spells on them in a certain way that your voice would cause the security to fall for a small time period, allowing you to see them."

"Great!" Hermione said, happy for the first time in months. "Let's go get them out of here."

Zachary looked confused. "Where are you taking them?"

"Somewhere far away. I sent them to Australia last time. Maybe this time I sent them to California or Hawaii or anywhere other than here. The farther they are away from this mess, the better. That's the only reason I came back here anyway. The Order is falling back to France. We need to plan. You're welcome to come with us."

"While that sounds great, I'll have to pass. I would feel terrible leaving the country without making at least one attempt to get Draco back on our side."

"Well, if you change our mind, we'll be at Beauxbatons Palace. Just send me an owl for directions."

Zachary smiled intensely. "Will do. Now, how about we go and get your parents?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

About an hour later, Zachary and Hermione were still walking out to where her parents were.

"I thought you said that they were right behind the house!" Hermione said.

"They are. In the scope of things, they're really pretty close." Zachary said with a smirk.

"Oh, you really are clever aren't you?" Hermione seethed.

Suddenly, the sound of crunching leaves came to their ears. Even as they stopped walking, the noises kept getting closer. Then, a loud voice came out of the woods.

"WHO'S THERE?" the voice boomed over the gentle wind.

"WHO'S ASKING?" Zachary screamed back, pulling his wand from his robes.

The sound stopped. Nothing made a noise. No wind. No leaves. No trees blowing. Nothing. There was only silence.

Then, the sound of magic fell through the air, as someone apparated directly behind them.

"I should have figured it was you." said a snide voice.

Hermione and Zachary to see the slim form of Draco Malfoy standing behind them.

"Draco! How did you get away from Lucius?" Zachary said with surprise.

"I was on a mission to look for Xavier after your escape. I met up with him and we kind of came to an understanding. So, we staged a battle in the middle of London where he blasted me into a building. He got me pretty good, I must say. Then, we Apparated to where I was and then got me to St. Mungo's, where we basically threatened the staff into not reporting us for who we were. They said they couldn't do that, but they could say that I died before they could get to me. So, sometime tomorrow, my Dad will get an Owl telling him about the untimely death of his son."

Zachary and Hermione looked at each other in disbelief.

"Really?" Hermione said. "You faked your death?"

"Yeah. The Prophet will run my obituary tomorrow evening." Draco said.

"Awesome!" Zachary said. "I would never have thought about doing that!"

"Yeah, well, let's get out of here. Granger, your parents are five minutes down that path. I know what you guys are planning. Getting out the country sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it is. I think getting back in will be nearly impossible."

Hermione looked at Draco for a second and then replied: "We know. But, we have to plan and there's simply just too much pressure on us here for that. We plan to eventually get Hogwarts back use that as our base, but until then, we're out of here."

"Alright Granger, I can see there's no convincing you otherwise. We'll try to keep in contact with you from here. You guys had better come up with one hell of a good plan."

And for the first time, Draco Malfoy smiled at Hermione Granger.

"Ok, that was creepy." Hermione said, an uncomfortable smile on your face. "I think I preferred you when you were insulting me."

"Oh, don't worry." Draco said. "That hasn't completely gone away."

"Good. Now, if you two are going to go, you might as well do it now. I don't want to spend anymore time being held up by the two of you." Hermione stated.

"Alright," Zachary said. "Come on, Draco. Let's go."

And with a rush of wind, the two of them were gone, leaving the former Minister of Magic alone in the woods.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Five minutes later, Hermione came to a stop near an opening in the woods. She didn't think it could be a coincidence that there was a opening right about where Draco said her parents were. But, there was only one way to find out.

"MOM!! DAD!!"

Instantly, a small house materialized in front of her eyes. While it was nothing lavish, it was incredibly well done for the short period of time that they had build it in. Her mom was standing on the front porch of the small abode, while her dad lay in a hammock next to her. Both of them turned to look at their daughter who bore little resemblance to the woman they saw last.

"Hermione!" they said in unison, racing toward her.

The family embraced in a long overdue hug for what seemed like hours. None of them were too keen on letting go. Nothing was said and nothing needed to be said. Finally, her dad broke free and asked the question.

"Zachary came and explained things to us, about what is happening in your world. But he never told us what happened to you."

So, for the next two hours, she explained where she had been and what it had been like. She chose to leave some parts out, like the near-rape and murder of Antonin Dolohov. But, for the most part, she told her parents everything that had happened. How they had been beaten and starved and beaten again. How they were held without a trial and without light and basic essentials.

Once she had finished, there were a few minutes of silence. Eventually, her mom spoke up.

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well," Hermione started. "First, I am going to get you out of here. I'm not going to erase your memories like last time. But, I am going to get you far away from here. I am thinking San Francisco is likely. I have some friends there who I worked with during my exchange there that could hide you. The only thing I know is that you can't stay here. Not anymore. It's too dangerous around here for you."

"Yes, Hermione, but what are _you _going to do?" her mother asked pointedly.

"I am going to join my friends in France. From there, we're going to plan on how to take back our Ministry. And then, I have a feeling that we're going to war with Voldemort again."

Her dad stood up and faced his daughter.

"Do you have to? Are you the only one that can do this?"

Hermione stood as well and looked her father in the eye.

"I'm not the only one. But I'm the best at what I do. The Wizarding World has a much better chance at surviving if I am helping. Plus, I can't stand by and watch all the work that I did get erased by a man man."

"Alright. Then, let's go." her dad said gently.

"Ok, if each of you take my arm, we should be able to get there in a couple Apparations. The jump across the ocean is going to be tough."

"WHAT?" her parents said together.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally, after a day of being pulled into nothingness and back again, they arrived in San Francisco. They stood on one of the many hills in the city and looked around for a bit.

"Oh, this is a nice city. I do like it." Hermione's mother said.

"I figured you would. Now, let's go, Rachel's house is right around the corner." Hermione said, leading them down the street.

After a short, brisk walk, they ended up at a small brownstone. Hermione made her way up the steps, knocking the door with her wand.

Almost instantly, the door opened and a short, blonde woman was there.

"Hermione? Well, what the hell are you doing here?" the woman answered.

"I need some help. I figured that you would be the best place to come."

"Damn straight. What do you need?" she replied.

"Do you know what's happening in London?" Hermione said as her family entered the house.

"I know that guy that is the new Minister over there is eerily familiar-looking. Why did you lose your job anyway?" she asked.

"I didn't. I was removed by him. Rachel, I know you aren't going to believe this, but that man is Lord Voldemort." Hermione said seriously.

"You're right. I don't believe you. Explain." Rachel said quickly.

In about five minutes, Hermione (in her best speed talking) explained about Lord Voldemort, Merlin, their takeover of the Ministry, and her escape.

"So, let me get this straight, Hermione, you're saying that you escaped from You-Know-Who and you want me to protect your parents from him." Rachel asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Hermione replied plainly.

"Oh, you are so going to owe me." Rachel replied. "I'll do it. Any line of thought tell you he will come here?"

"None." Hermione said. "Things should be fine here. I just need to get them away from the country."

"Alright, any idea how long they'll be here?"

"No. But, I'll keep in contact with you the best I can." she said.

"Ok. I'll go and see about getting the extra rooms around." Rachel said, turning out of the room.

Hermione turned and looked at her parents. Both of them had tears in their eyes. Eyes which said only one thing: fear. Fear for their little girl, fear for themselves, fear for everyone. Hermione recognized that fear as the same fear that was inside her.

"I promise you I'll be back. _I promise._" she said.

"We know." her father said. "We just want you to know how proud we are of you and how much we love you."

"I know, Dad. I love you guys too. I'll be back for you as soon as I can be." she said, tears started to form in her eyes as well.

The family embraced for what seemed like hours. Then, Hermione broke away and looked back at her parents one last time.

"I love you very much. Take care of each other."

Looking away, she collected herself.

Then, with a turn, she was gone.


	6. Inferno

Harry hit the ground running. He didn't dare turn to look and see if he was being followed or if someone recognized him. He just ran. The streets of London were just as familiar to him as they always had been. He ran all the way back to his home, 13 Grimmauld Place.

As he entered the front door, Harry finally relaxed. No one could get him there. It was very dark and dreary. Probably because he hadn't lived there in almost six months. He walked straight up the stairs and into his bedroom. Nothing was different about the room. It was exactly as he had left it.

Deciding it was best to let his friends know how he was, Harry conjured his Patronus.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

The stag burst from the end of his wand, took a quick lap around the room, and then stopped right in front of him.

"Go to the Burrow. Repeat this message: I'm ok. I'm home. Don't come for me. Get out of there."

It nodded its head swiftly and disappeared out the open window. As he walked to the window, he noticed something peculiar about the people outside. They all wore long black cloaks with skull masks covering their faces. Death Eaters. Suddenly, all of them raised their wands, aiming them at his building.

BOOM!

Fire erupted everywhere. The entire building, including his apartment, was in flames. The glass in his glasses became a complete hinderance as they fogged up in the heat. It made his attempt to flee very difficult. Harry managed to make it to the door of his room before something in there exploded.

BOOM!

The explosion launched Harry down the stairs and into the front hall. HIs whole body ached. It felt like the time he had fallen off of his broomstick. Only worse because his back was badly burned. But, even through the pain, he managed to fight my way up and out the front door. He crawled down the front stepped, coughing and hacking up smoke and fire. Once he got his bearings, Harry realized that he was surrounded.

The one in the center of the semi-circle stepped forward.

"Harry Potter. You have been convicted of murder and of escaping Azkaban Prison. The penalty is death." the voice said. He removed his mask and long white hair billowed out. Lucius Malfoy's ugly smile lit up at the look in Harry's face.

Slowly, he raised his wand, aiming it at Harry's face.

"Goodbye, Potter"

Instantly, a blue rush of energy exploded from Harry, knocking all of the Death Eaters at least twenty feet back. Harry stood slowly, exposing the wand he had been hiding in his sleeve.

"I learning that from Xavier. Very interesting. And useful. I think I'll see you guys later." he said.

He then turned on the spot and was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He ended up in the middle of a field. He recognized the field instantly. It had been the first place that Hermione had brought them as they escaped from Lord Voldemort in the last war. So much had happened since then. He had become an Auror. He had become _Head_ of the Aurors. So many people had died. Fred. Remus. Tonks. Colin.

They had died defending him and he knew it. They died believing in him. In the end, it didn't matter. Lord Voldemort had been two steps ahead the whole time. That's why he was so reckless. Because he could be. He had nothing to lose. He knew that he had followers and he knew that he would be back someday. So, what did he care if he died once, he would get another life.

Harry hated him. He had destroyed his family, his friends, and his life. He knew that the next time they faced off, one of them would die. Permanently.

Harry sat in the middle of the field, pondering what to do next, when it came to him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He hadn't been back. Not since that night. He had only visited the quaint little town once. Just once. He had seen their graves. He had seen how wonderful things would have been. Now, he was going back again. He had thought of it only minutes after arriving in that field. What better place to hide than the place that Voldemort first tasted defeat?

Voldemort himself was surely afraid of the place. He had to be. The memory of his great defeat was probably never lost on him. So, Harry walked into town and straight to the one place Voldemort would come near.

His old home.

He had set things up in the back. There was a small couch and a chair. But, Harry wouldn't need it for any of that. All he was doing was planning. Planning.

Planning for the ultimate defeat of Lord Voldemort.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!**

**I finally figured out what I want to do with this story. It might be a little slower because I will still be working on my X-Men story, but it will definitely come along. This chapter was pretty to the point, as I expected.**

**Don't worry though. Xavier has some trouble coming for him in the next chapter.**


	7. Back in Charge

He was home. It felt like a dream to him, surreal. He walked around the small apartment he kept in London when he wasn't in school. Everything was in the same state as Xavier had left it. Very neat. Very clean.

He sat in the small chair in the small living room and just began to think.

Where was everyone? What were they doing? Did everyone get out?

He didn't even know the answer to the last question. When he saw that light, he wasn't even sure if he would get out. He just closed his eyes and hoped.

Luckily, they did get out. Or at least he did. He just hoped that everyone else did.

He knew that eventually they were going to come after him and he wanted to be ready. After showering and changing into new clothes for the first time in six months, he sat back down in the chair, a small bag full of gear ready to go.

Quickly, sleep took him. He drifted off into nothingness. Then, something appeared to him.

_He saw his mother and father. He remembered how wonderful they had been. How they had always been there for him._

_Then, he saw someone in the backdrop. _

_Rich._

_He saw him how he used to be. Smiley. Mischievous. Friendly. Rich walked up and stepped in between his parents, putting his arm on each of their shoulders._

_For a second, the picture was perfect. It was exactly what he had always wanted. The perfect family._

_Then, it all began to change. Large cuts began to form on each of his parents. Bruises appeared from nowhere. They quickly slumped to the ground, eyes wide open, staring with cold dead eyes._

_At the same time, Rich's eyes began to dark. His expression changed to one of anger, hate, and fear. A large scar appeared over his right eye. He grew skinny and his eyes appeared to sink back into his head._

_He stepped forward._

_"Xavier, you are a fool. You will lose everything. There is no winning. There is no chance. Our victory is assured!" he said with confidence._

_He raised his wand and silently attacked. The white light traveled confidently toward him. But then, it stopped, just inches short of him. The white light lit up the area around him and he turned to see his friends and allies walking toward him. Harry. Ron. Hermione. Demelza. Severus. They all came and stood in front of him, creating a wall of defense in between him and his brother. _

_On the other side, Merlin and Lord Voldemort came and stood next to Rich. Next to, but not in front of._

_"Do you understand?" Xavier replied calmly. "I am not alone! There are those who would stand with me and stand in front of me. We stand together. Sure, you have powerful allies, but nothing compared to the power of the trust we have between us. Your victory is far from assured, dear Brother! You will have to kill each and every one of us in order to achieve your victory."_

_"Done."_

"XAVIER MITCHELL!" a voice rang out.

Suddenly, I awoke with a start, wand at the ready. It was noticeably later. The sun had started to rise and people were already out and getting ready to begin their day.

All of the sudden, someone kicked the door in. Clearing the threshold was a man with long, white hair and robes that looked like they had once been pretty nice but had since been cut and burned.

"Well, someone had a rough night," Xavier said sarcastically.

"Quiet! You are under arrest for..."

BOOM!

Xavier quickly launched an attack at Lucius Malfoy, who flew across the living room and into the kitchen.

"I know what I'm in trouble for. Just get out of my way."

Xavier reached down, grabbed his bag, and made his way for the front door. Once he got there, he looked out to see at least ten other Death Eaters there.

"Well, I guess its time to try something new," Xavier said quietly to himself.

With the quickest of movements, he whipped his wand at the Death Eaters. A long line of blue fire erupted from the tip and created a semi-circle in front of the step to the street below him. All of the Death Eaters attempts to pass over this barrier failed. They couldn't attack it, curse it, get rid of it, or go around it.

"There are some things inside that I think you may like. That's if you can ever get inside."

With a quick turn, Xavier was gone, back to the one place no one would be able to get him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He landed on the grounds of the school with no fanfare. He knew that there was no way Lord Voldemort would ever get rid of the school. But, he also knew that he would have replaced the staff. That meant that this was going to be a tough fight.

But, he also knew one thing: he had the castle on his side. There was no way to remove a Headmaster other than death or removal by the Governors. However, the Governors would only be able to vote after a formal hearing. And you couldn't change these laws. They were literally apart of the magic of the school. A magic that no one knew how to undo.

Xavier walked towards the giant castle, muttering the small incantations he would need to safely get back in the castle. He slowly approached the large front doors to the castle, placing his hand on the doors. He quietly muttered a small incantation and the door silently opened just enough to let Xavier in.

The school hadn't changed a bit. He remembered being back at Hogwarts after the Battle and how much it had changed. Lord Voldemort hadn't been so bold this time. Almost nothing had changed. Even the large portrait of Minerva McGonagall that Xavier had hung in the Great Hall remained.

Xavier slowly climbed the stairs so as not to attract attention. The first class of the morning had just begun so luckily for Xavier, the halls were almost entirely empty.

As he reached the seventh floor, he made his way to the gargoyle that guarded his office. He quietly leaned down towards it and spoke the password.

"_Rich._"

Sure enough, the name of his wayward brother remained the password as the gargoyle jumped out of the way. Xavier quickly made his way up the stairs as the portraits of the Headmaster before awoke. He knew that they would know the current situation.

"Headmasters, please wake up! Your help is needed!"

Slowly, each Headmaster made their way to their proper place in the office of the Headmaster.

"What do you know about what is happening in the school?"

It was Albus Dumbledore who spoke up first.

"Lord Voldemort has learned much from his first experience in true power. He has chosen to change anything about Hogwarts. The only thing that has changed is that it has once again become mandatory to attend. Also, a new class has been added to the curriculum: Unknown Magic. It teaches about all kinds of suspicious magic. It doesn't directly teach them how to us it. Just what it is for."

Good news.

"How much of the staff has changed?"

A new portrait that had not been there the last time I had been present spoke up.

"None," Minerva McGonagall said. "He simply named Zachary Rhine Interm Headmaster in your absence."

"Professor, I am sorry that I was unable to attend your funeral. I am sure that it was wonderful."

"Oh yes, as wonderful as being dead can be," said Professor McGonagall in a rare display of sarcasm.

"Thank you all. You are dismissed."

Xavier immediately pulled out his wand and placed it to his throat. His magnified voice spoke over the whole castle.

"Classes are cancelled for the rest of the day. Staff, please make your way to the Headmaster's office immediately. Thank you."

He could hear the castle begin to bustle to life beneath him. While Xavier had never saw himself as much of an educator, he could feel it inside of him. He loved his job with everything he had. Hearing the school in session again while he was present was the best feeling he had had in a long time.

Moments later, the staff of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry flooded the previously quiet office. Xavier took his place at his seat behind his desk. Almost all of them look shocked to see Xavier back at school.

"Thank you for coming. Now, I must say a few things. First, I have never killed anyone. I did not kill the people of which I was convicted. If you do not believe this to the core, please leave. But, before you do, understand that you are also resigning your post as a teacher here at Hogwarts."

Two of the teachers that he had hired at the beginning of the previous year immediately turned and left. Xavier had remembered them distinctly as those that seemed like the type that only taught because they needed the money.

"Thank you. Secondly, we will no longer be responding to requests from the Ministry of Magic. Again, if you do not wish to comply with this, please leave."

With this, another two walked out. Each one had family that worked at the Ministry and wouldn't dare to defy it.

"Again thank you. Lastly, we are absolving the House system here at Hogwarts for everything other that Quidditch. Unity is the most important thing right now. Minister of Magic Roper is not who he seems to be. I know this will be hard to believe, but Roper is Lord Voldemort in disguise. Again, if you do agree with either of these sentiments, please take your leave."

With this, almost ten professors walked out the door. In the end, Zachary Rhine, Isaac Stems, Neville Longbottom, and a handful of other teachers remained in the room.

"Thank you for your support. I will inform you now. We plan on making Hogwarts the headquarters for the rebellion against Lord Voldemort. So, I want all of the students moved down into the dungeons. Take all of the classrooms down there and turn them into dormitories. I want First through Third Years in one, Fourth through Seventh in another. Boys in one room, Girls in another. Four rooms. I know that you can make it work. We will discuss how we are going to rearrange teaching duties when you get back."

With their instructions, the teachers of Hogwarts took their leave.

Instantly, Xavier stood, pulling out his wand.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

A giant eagle launched itself from his wand, soaring around the room and landing on the desk right in front of him.

"I have two messages for you," Xavier said slowly. "First, go to Demelza. Give her this message: Escaped from prison, back at Hogwarts, come here or get out of the country. Once you get done with that, go to Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Severus, or anyone else you can think of and tell them this: Hogwarts is ours, it is time to fight back."

The eagle nodded sharply and instantly turned and flew like a blur out the window. Xavier watched it until it was out of sight.

He slowly sat down at his desk, all the while thinking of his dream. The dream was a message to him. Maybe even from him to him. He had friends, he had allies. He had people that would protect him.

"We can still win this. We can win this as long as we stick together."


	8. A Plan For Victory

He had been on edge all evening. He had sent the Patronuses to his friends and allies last night and had heard nothing back.

Were they hurt? Were they dead? Why hadn't they responded to him?

He had been able to help himself during the day. He had first assisted the professors in transforming the dungeons into the new dormitories. Then, he closed all but the most secret entrances to the dungeons, making it very difficult for someone unwanted to enter. Then, he moved each of the portraits that had previously guarded the various House common rooms down to the dungeon to guard the students. Now, each student had to pass in between four different portraits to get where he wanted to go.

Then, he had presented himself to the student body. He quietly explained to them that they were no longer following the wishes of the Ministry of Magic. They were not required to stay there anymore, but it would definitely be safer for them there. Instantly, Owls came pouring from all over Europe, stating their displeasure with my decision and with a convicted murderer being the Headmaster of the school.

But, after that, he had retired to his office for the rest of the evening. He had only been back a couple minutes when the fear returned. Why had no one responded to him?

He sat there for nearly a half-hour before something passed into his open window and landed in the middle of the office. It was a stag. Xavier recognized it as the Patronus of Harry Potter. It stood regally and spoke aloud:

_"I am safe. So is everyone else. They've backed off to France. I'm in Godric's Hallow. Reply to this if Hogwarts is safe enough for me to come."_

Xavier quickly stood and cast his Patronus.

"Give him this message: Hogwarts is safe. Apparate to the office only."

Xavier then sat and waited with great relief, hearing that his friends were still alive.

Almost an hour later, Harry Potter Apparated into his office.

"How are you, Xavier?" he said politely.

"Definitely could be better. What's the situation?" Xavier replied.

"Hermione and Ron are going to France. Ginny is in Bulgaria. Draco and Zachary are still in London." Harry replied as he sat in front of Xavier's desk.

"What about Snape?" Xavier asked.

"Nothing, no one has heard from him." Harry replied.

"Great. You don't think that he would go back to him, do you?" Xavier wondered aloud.

"No, I don't." Harry said simply.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes, just thinking about what they were going to do.

"So what's the plan?" Harry asked.

"The great Harry Potter asking me for a plan?" Xavier laughed.

"Well, you are the Chief Warlock."

"I guess. We're going to bring everyone here. I've arranged it so that the students are only on the first two floors of the castle and the dungeons. So, we bring everyone here and we start to fight back." Xavier replied confidently.

"Sounds easy."

"I wish it was," Xavier said softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had only been there for two days and he was already losing his mind. Ron knew that Fleur could drive him crazy sometimes, but he couldn't even imagine her whole family together. Lucky for them, Fleur's house was huge. It stood in the middle of the French Alps and was just enormous. It was almost as big as Hogwarts it seemed. It was completely isolated. The next closest home was almost thirty miles away.

Fleur's family was insistent that they all spend as much time together as possible. To be perfectly honest, the only person he wanted to be near was Hermione. She had seemed strange to Ron ever since she had arrived from the United States. Ron thought that it had something to do with her parents. After all, this was the second time she had been forced to get her family out of the country for fear of Lord Voldemort.

So, when the opportunity, Ron asked Hermione to go on a walk. Just the two of them. They left and slowly made their way down the mountainside. For nearly fifteen minutes, they were silent. Eventually, Ron couldn't stand it anymore.

"What's up, Hermione?" Ron said.

"Nothing, Ron. Absolutely nothing."

"You're lying. I know I can be thick, but when you seem nearly on the verge of tears all the time, I can tell," Ron said quietly.

"It's the whole situation. Harry and Xavier are still in England. But, almost everyone else ran. But, what was worst is that we didn't have a choice. He did things perfectly this time. No one suspects anything. Not yet anyway. And when they do things will be too late."

Silence engulfed them again as they continued to walk.

"Do you think we can win?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked in return.

"Do you think we can be Xavier's brother, Merlin, _and_ Lord Voldemort?" Hermione asked again.

"We've beaten Lord Voldemort before. Plus, we didn't have Xavier last time. And we aren't kids anymore. We have to accept that this is the way things are. But, yeah, I think we can win."

"Ok. I love you, Ron." Herimone replied softly.

"I love you too, Hermione."

Suddenly, a large explosion was heard from behind them. They knew that there was only one place it could be. Instantly, they turned and sprinted back to the house. When they returned, the large mansion was almost gone. Luckily, everyone appeared to have gotten out. What was left of the house was in flames. But, out of the flames, came a man. Rich Mitchell. He had somehow followed them here.

"Did you think you could get away from me!? Our resources are endless. We will find you anywhere!" Rich said, a mad look in his eyes.

Hermione looked at Ron.

"Ron, get your family and go to Beauxbatons Palace with Fleur. You guys will be safe there. I'll hold him off long enough for you guys to get out of here." Hermione said quickly.

"Hermine, I can take care of him," Ron said angrily.

"I know you can. But you don't need to. You have a family to protect. Now get out of here!"

Ron nodded and made his way to run away. But as he got a couple steps away, he turned back and grabbed Hermione in the small of her back, pulling her closer. He kissed for with everything he had. All of his love for her. For what seemed like eternity, they kissed. When Ron pulled away, he looked into her eyes.

"Just give us time. Don't be a hero."

With that, Ron ran to his family. Once they were all together, they all grabbed each others hands and Apparated to Beauxbatons. The last thing Ron saw was Hermione launching her first attack at Rich.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had been nearly an hour since they had arrived at the massive palace. Fleur had been right to brag. Beauxbatons Palace was huge. Much larger than Hogwarts or anything else that Ron had been in. While everyone else had began to settle down, Ron couldn't. In fact, it had taken nearly everyone there to hold Ron down so he didn't Apparate back to the Delacour home to help Hermione.

As each minute passed, he couldn't help but think of the worst. She was dead. Nearly dead. Hurt badly. Dead. Dead. Dead. That was all he could think. As time passed, Ron slipped slowly into despair. Nothing anyone said could make him feel any better. He just couldn't help but think that Hermione had been killed.

Then suddenly, Hermione appeared in the entrance hall. She was beaten and bloody and obviously had taken a lot of abuse. She instantly collapsed to the ground.

Ron sprinted to her side.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"He's good. I'll give him that." Hermione said weakly. "He made me work for it. But, I eventually was able to knock him out. Then, it took me three times to Apparate here because I've never been here. It's like flying blind."

"Are you ok?" Ron asked with concern.

"Yes. I think I broke a couple ribs but with a bit of rest and a Healer, I'll be fine." Hermione said.

They took her upstairs to one of the small individual bedrooms usually held by teachers. Hermione instantly fell asleep once she hit the bed. Ron sat and watched for hours. He knew that they needed to fight back but didn't know how.

Suddenly, an eagle flew in the open window. It soared around the room before landing at the foot of the bed. It was then that Ron realized that it was not a real eagle, but a Patronus. The light was bright enough to wake Hermione up. She sat up just as the eagle began to speak.

_"Hogwarts is ours, it is time to fight back."_

Ron looked at Hermione. Then, another one, a stag entered. It sat next to the eagle and spoke as well:

_"Stay there. The Headmaster of Beauxbatons needs to activate the Light of Hope. Once all three schools do so, a message will be sent to the Minister of Magic for each European country. From there, we can tell them what's going on. Xavier has got a plan. We just need to trust him."_

Following this, both Patronuses disappeared. Ron turned to Hermione.

"With their help, I know we can win."


	9. Return

He slowly lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Instantly, he heard someone get up and quickly make their way to the door. The door then was thrust open in front of him. Xavier Mitchell stood there, a look of surprise on his face.

"Severus?" he asked.

"No, I suppose that I am someone else," he said snidely.

Severus Snape then let himself in to the office of Headmaster Xavier Mitchell and sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. He looked around. Much had changed from when Albus Dumbledore and he had been Headmaster there. Unbeknown to the other staff, Severus Snape hadn't changed a single thing about the office from when Dumbledore had been the Headmaster. No one had seen fit to come to the Headmaster's Office and Severus did all of his disciplining in front of the student body in the Great Hall.

But, that was a long time ago and much had changed. No longer were the walls lined with small devices and trinkets. Instead, they were lined with books and various academic texts. Like his predecessor and quite unlike Albus Dumbledore, Xavier Mitchell was quite conservative. He no doubt did his job well, but with very little flair or creativity. It was the strangest sight to behold when Xavier Mitchell, his former student, took the Headmaster's chair.

"Where have you been?" Xavier asked impatiently.

Before he could answer, the door behind them opened quietly and Harry Potter entered the room. Their relationship was...odd to say the least. Severus hated Harry because of his stunning resemblance to his father. But, he also cared for him in a way that only they could understand. Severus' love for Harry's mother was outstanding. So much so that Severus would protect the living embodiment of his mortal enemy because that same person also carried the blood of the one he had loved.

For Harry, things were just as complicated. Severus had been awful to Harry and beyond. He had insulted his father and his godfather and his best friends. He had been cruel beyond hope and meaner than a Hungarian Horntail. But, Harry respected Severus Snape more than any man he had ever met. Severus Snape had loved his mother so much that he had gone out of his way and put his own life in danger to help her son.

They looked at each other for a split second and then moved on. Harry stepped behind the desk and repeated Xavier's question.

"Where have you been?"

"Well," Severus started, "there is quite a story for that."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The Night of the Escape_

Severus hadn't gone anywhere. While all of the rest of them had fled, Severus had stayed behind. None of them had been paying attention. Lord Voldemort lowered his wand and came towards him with a fury that Severus had never seen before. His anger was so great that he resorted to Muggle violence, punching Severus in the face.

"HOW DARE YOU!?" he bellowed. "How dare you let them free? What were you thinking? Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Severus Snape!"

Snape had planned for this. As he always did. Never let anyone know who he sided with. Not until the end.

"You couldn't kill them in here."

Lord Voldemort's anger grew, as did his confusion.

"Explain yourself."

Severus stood, collected himself, and began.

"The public never saw a trial. They never saw them struggle against you. If someone were to learn that they were killed in here, the fact that they were never brought to the public would cause a wildfire. But, if you let them go, they will go free and attempt to rise up against you. But, not against Lord Voldemort, but against Minister Roper. The public will see an uprising and they will call for blood. _Then,_ you can kill Harry Potter and his ragtag team."

Moments passed. The anger in Lord Voldemort began to subside. Eventually, he turned and began to leave before stopping.

"Go to them. Take this with you." he said as he tossed a small book towards Severus.

"Do not do something like this ever again, Severus."

Severus looked down at the item Lord Voldemort had thrown to him. It was a small book with a title written in a language that he couldn't understand. But, he knew what it was for.

Suddenly, Lord Voldemort reappeared in the hall.

"Actually, Severus, I have a plan for you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"He told me to bring back Albus Dumbledore," Snape said.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Lord Voldemort asking for them to bring back the one man he was ever afraid of? It didnt' make sense.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"The Dark Lord seems to think that if Albus Dumbledore is involved in the civil war, there is a great chance the public will take it seriously. You see, everyone still remembers hearing about Dumbledore versus Grindelwald or Dumbledore versus the Dark Lord. The battle between you and Lord Voldemort was pretty quick. So, in the general public's eye, while you may be more famous, he's the one that would really get people afraid."

"What happens if the people side with us?" Xavier asked calmly.

"He doesn't think they will. You forget that Dumbledore wasn't all that well-liked by a lot of people while he was Headmaster. The Dark Lord is counting on that memory to bubble up and for people to fight against him now that he isn't the Headmaster."

They sat there in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Harry finally spoke up.

"So, I know that we're all considering. Dumbledore could be a flag post for us or a rallying point for him. He's going to be valuable to one or the other. I think the only problem we're having here is that this is Voldemort's plan." Harry said quickly.

"I would agree with that."

"As would I." Severus said.

Again, they sat in silence. Again, it was Harry who spoke up.

"I say that once we get everyone here, we do it. He'll help us either way."

"Agreed." Xavier and Severus said in unison.

"Now, we need to activate the Beacon of Hope," Xavier said quickly afterwards.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"The Beacon of Hope is a distress call sent by the Headmasters of the Three Schools to each Minster of Magic in Europe. Plus, it also sends one to the American Magic Academy in the United States. The Beacon can only be activated by the Headmaster of each school. Claire Obier is already in place with our people at Beauxbatons Palace, I am here, the only person we need to contact is the headmaster of Durmstrang."

"Who is that?" Severus asked.

"Viktor Krum. He was appointed Headmaster last year." Xavier replied officially.

"Viktor? That shouldn't be a problem." Harry said confidently.

"I wouldn't be so sure of yourself."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"His family was killed by the relatives of some supporters of Grindelwald and Voldemort's last year. He's gone on record saying that he doesn't really care about what happens in England."

"Ah," Harry replied softly.

"I will go with Potter to ensure Krum's cooperation. I knew his grandfather and father quite well. Maybe we can use that to get to him."

"Do something. I will be ready to hear from you once he has agreed to it."

Severus stood and left the room instantly. Harry was a little behind.

"Harry!" Xavier called.

"What?" Harry replied impatiently.

"Don't kill him. We still need him." Xavier replied simply.

Harry turned to leave before Xavier spoke up again.

"Are we actually going to do it? Are we going to bring Dumbledore back from the dead?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, I think we are." Harry replied.

And with that, he was gone.


	10. Recruitment

They had been Apparating for two days. They had left Hogwarts and traveled all the way to Helsinki in one night. The next morning, they left for Durmstrang. It was nearly midnight and incredibly cold. They were up in the mountains and Harry had finally come to his breaking point.

"Snape, do you know where the hell we're going?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Yes, Potter. But, we can't just go in the front door. I doubt Krum is really keen on having visitors right now," Snape replied shortly.

"Great." Harry replied.

Another hour went by before finally they saw something. On the horizon, near the highest mountain, stood a small castle. It was not nearly the size of Hogwarts, but Harry did remember something that Viktor Krum had said once.

_"Ve have just four floors and the fires are lit only for magical purposes. But ve have grounds larger even than these-- though in the vinter, Ve have very little daylight, so ve are not enjoying them."_

"Snape, are we already on their grounds?" Harry asked.

"Yes, we have been for some time now." Snape replied simply.

"So won't they know we're here?" Harry asked again.

"Yes, I imagine that very soon there will be someone here to greet us."

"Yeah, greet us." Harry replied absentmindedly.

Within just a few minutes, a group of four wizards came screaming out of the castle towards them. Only a few seconds after that, they had surrounded Snape and Harry.

"Identify yourselves!"

The voice was unmistakable.

"Viktor?" Harry asked.

The man who had spoke came down to the ground with ease. He dismounted and walked with a flat-footed style. Harry had no doubt that this was Viktor Krum.

"Yes, I am Viktor Krum, Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute. And who are you?"

Harry stepped forward into what little light the moon offered.

"I am Harry Potter, Triwizard Champion, Former Head of Aurors, and friend of Viktor Krum."

Krum stepped forwrard and, immediately upon recognizing Harry, embraced him. Letting Harry go, he spoke again.

"Harry! How vundeful to see you! Please, come with us to the castle vhere it is much varmer."

"We would be honored."

Viktor summoned two more brooms. When they arrived, Harry and Snape followed Krum back to the castle. Once inside, Harry looked around. Viktor had been quite modest. While it was not nearly as nice as Hogwarts, it was definitely a very nice place indeed. Viktor beckoned Harry and Snape to follow him. They followed him up four sets of stairs and then they stood on a small crest in the middle of the fourth floor. Viktor muttered something and the crest began to rise. It rose up into small hole in the ceiling. They looked up and noticed a spiral staircase that made its way up to a larger platform. After climbing the staircase, they looked around.

The room they were in was completely circular. But, the most incredible thing about it was that it had no solid walls. It was all glass. The dome on the top, the cylindrical walls, and the circular floor, all glass. The view was gorgeous, even in the darkness.

Viktor stood his place behind his desk. Harry and Xavier sat across from them.

"I assume that you have not come here to chat." Viktor said.

"No, Viktor. We've come here to ask for your help." Harry said confidently.

"Help with vat?" Viktor asked.

"Lord Voldemort has returned and has taken over the British Ministry of Magic. We intend to fight him off but we will need your help. Xavier Mitchell, Headmaster of Hogwarts, requests that you activate the Beacon of Hope."

Viktor sat. He had no reaction. For a few moments, he sat there in total silence. Then, he spoke.

"Leave."

"What?" Harry and Snape said together.

"I do not wish to be bothered with such things." Viktor with no emotion.

It was with this that Snape finally spoke up.

"Your grandfather died defending your family from Grindelwald. Your father died defending his country from Lord Voldemort's followers. Your family died defending themselves from a combination of the both. Yet, you choose to set here in you crystal tower and do nothing? If you do, Viktor Krum, their deaths would be in vain."

Viktor stood, visible angry.

"DO NOT LECTURE ME, SEVERUS SNAPE! I know what deeds you did at the service of the Dark Lord. You are the man responsible for the death of Albus Dumbledore." Viktor said accusingly.

"Yes, I am. But, not at the behest of the Dark Lord. Instead, I was following orders from Dumbledore himself. It was through my deeds that Potter was able to defeat the Dark Lord!" Snape replied sharply.

"Is this true?" Viktor asked, looking at Harry.

"It is. I do not like him. But, I respect Severus Snape more than any man I know. The British Ministry of Magic is the strongest in the world. There is no denying that. If Lord Voldemort and his followers are able to defeat us, there will be no stopping him in the rest of the world. We are begging for your help." Harry replied.

Viktor stood and stared at Harry. Then, he took his seat. He leaned back and looked out the window. A look of fear and of hatred claimed his face. Then, he looked back at Harry.

"I shall light the Beacon. But, I will encourage the Bulgarian Ministry not to send troops. However, if they choose to, I will join you myself. But, promise me this Potter. Promise me that this time, he goes down for good."

Harry stood.

"He will, Viktor."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Through various messages, Owls, and Patronuses, it had been set that on midnight of the next night the Beacon would be activated. The process was simple. Each Headmaster would go to the School Seal that lay on the floor of their entrance hall and simply say: "_strenuus lux lucis." _This was Latin for Activate the Light. Then, they would repeat a simple message. It would then be sent to the Minister of Magic for each country in Europe and to the Headmaster of the American Magic Academy in the US.

Throughout the day, Harry and Snape had taken a chance to rest. But, the time to rest was over. At five minutes to midnight, they made their way to the entrance hall with Viktor. He had barred the students from using the hall all day in case emergency activation was needed.

The seconds ticked away at the large clock in the corner of the hall. For Harry and Severus, this was finally the beginning. Finally, they would begin to fight back.

Suddenly, the clock struck.

Viktor stepped on the middle of the seal and repeated the simple phrase: _"Strenuus Lux Lucis."_

Instantly, the seal on the floor lit up. The Beacon of Hope had been activated. Viktor immediately began to recite his message.

"Ministers, this is Viktor Krum, Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute. I come to you requesting help on behalf of dear friends. The man in charge of the British Ministry of Magic is not who he says he is. He is Lord Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. Harry Potter has formed a coalition of those who wish to fight against him. We Headmasters ask that you send troops to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, they can be used to fight back against Lord Voldemort. Thank you."

Seconds after he finished, the light went out. He turned to Harry and Severus.

"It is done."

He made his way to leave before Harry stopped him.

"You didn't ask your government not to send troops." Harry stated.

"You are correct. I have thought about this greatly. If you vill have me, I vould like to join you." Viktor said quietly.

"We would love to have you, Viktor."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	11. N O A

Two days after the meeting between Harry, Severus, and Viktor, they returned to Hogwarts. Hours later, the Weasley family returned to Hogwarts and for the first time in over a year, they were together again. They met with Harry and Viktor in the large boardroom that stood underneath Xavier's office. Hermione Granger came with the Weasley's from France. She sat in the middle of the group, still recovering from her injuries.

Arthur, Molly, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and Ginny. Harry. Hermione. They were finally a family again. While they knew that they had a long road ahead of them, they were content to see their family whole again, happy and healthy.

Unknown to them, Xavier Mitchell and Severus Snape stood just above them. Severus stood behind his old desk, looking out the window, while Xavier paced the room. Finally, Xavier stopped pacing and faced Severus.

"Do I tell them?" Xavier asked.

"Tell them what? Severus replied, facing Xavier.

"Tell them that we plan on resurrecting Albus Dumbledore. That Lord Voldemort wants us to do it and that we're going to do it anyway." Xavier retorted.

"Xavier, I remember you from school. You were easily the best student in your year. From what I've heard, you were the best Auror not named Potter. You are universally respected as the Headmaster at Hogwarts." Severus said.

Xavier was shocked. Never before had he heard Severus Snape speak so kindly to another person.

"Thank you, Severus."

"In the end, you will know what to do."

Xavier turned to leave, then quickly stopped and turned to Severus.

"Come with me. Oh and that didn't help at all."

Xavier and Severus made their way down the short, spiral staircase and entered the room where the Weasleys et al stood. Once Severus took his seat along one of the walls, the room went silent. Instantly, each person knew that something was up and began to take their seats.

_Wasn't Severus Snape dead?_

Xavier stood at the end of the long table and addressed his friends.

"Hello everyone. I'm sure later we will have more time to catch up, but currently, we have some things that must be decided on."

The room echoed with Xavier's mild voice.

"Lord Voldemort has returned. As has Severus Snape, as you can see. He is currently working with Lord Voldemort, who still assumes him to be on his side."

"How do you know that?" Charlie Weasley said loudly.

Xavier had expected this. Severus Snape was supposed to be dead. Also, it had only been Harry's word that had been any evidence that he had supported Lord Voldemort.

"First off, Severus assisted in our escape from Azkaban. Also, Harry has spoke multiple times to his confidence in Severus. I trust Harry and so, I will trust in Severus Snape."

Everyone seemed to be as content as they could be with this explanation.

"If there are no other questions, then we will continue. First, we must decide whether or not to fight against Lord Voldemort. I assume a quick vote will help us decide before we discuss. All those in favor."

Each person in the room rose a hand. No one hesitated and no one seemed to regret their decision.

"Well, it seems that that is taken care of. Now, I suggest that we elect a head of government and a head of military activities. Does anyone disagree with this?"

Percy Weasley raised his hand.

"Do you have something you wish to say?" Xavier said.

"Obviously." Percy said, smirkly. "I do not believe that anyone other than Hermione and myself are capable of leading us in our governmental duties. As such, I believe that we should limit candidates to just us two."

The room shifted uncomfortably.

"Does anyone else believe this to be the case?" Xavier asked.

No one in the room moved a muscle.

"Unfortunately Percy, no one appears to agree with you. Now, I ask if there is anyone that would like nominate someone for the Head of Government?" Xavier asked.

"I nominate Harry." Ron said.

"Do you accept?" Xavier asked.

"I guess?" Harry replied.

For nearly twenty minutes, names were thrown around. Eventually, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Severus Snape accepted the nomination. No one had even bothered to nominate Percy. They left the room so that the remaining members could discuss.

"This is an open floor. Feel free to speak at anytime. I ask that we keep things courteous. Please don't interrupt anyone and keep things brief."

Ron Weasley stood.

"Ok, so Harry and Hermione are my two best friends. I know them better than anyone. I also know that Harry will let things get to his heart sometimes. He sometimes doesn't use his head. Hermione is definitely the best choice."

Bill Weasley followed his youngest brother.

"Hermione is definitely the best person for this. We all know that."

For nearly thirty minutes, various people stood and spoke about Harry and Hermione. Xavier finally stood to speak.

"I've sat here silent for some time. Why is no one talking about Severus? He's smart, ruthless, and emotionally detached from us. I understand the risk we're putting in making our spy our head of government. However, I think that he can handle that."

The room finally grew silent. Only two or three people in the room trusted Snape. The others trusted Harry and so chose not to hate Snape. But each of them slowly realized that Snape was their best option. They would probably have to put a public face on it, but allowing Snape to make a majority of their decisions was not a bad thing.

Finally, Charlie Weasley stood.

"I move to elect Severus Snape the official Head of our Government with Hermione Granger as the public face of operations."

"All in favor?" Xavier asked.

Everyone but Percy raised their hands in favor of this. Xavier raised his wand and the door to the room opened. He then quietly recited what happened to the three of them. Everyone, including Percy, applauded the three as they entered the room. Severus stopped at the end of the table.

"Xavier, I would like to move to end elections. I think it would be appropriate for me to select my own Military Head and allow them to choose their own associates." Snape said quickly.

"I don't think that should be a problem. All opposed?"

No one moved.

"Ok, I'll hand things over to Severus now."

Xavier took a seat down at the end of the table, as Severus stepped into his place.

"I understand what you all think of me. I do. But everything I did, I did in loyalty to Dumbledore." Severus said. "As for the Head of Military Operations, I choose Xavier Mitchell to fill in that capacity."

Xavier left the seat he had just taken and walked to the front of the room again.

"Hello everyone, long time, no see." Xavier said with a smirk. "I will choose three Warlocks that will be my main field commanders. They will be Harry Potter, Viktor Krum, and George Weasley. Arthur and Molly, since I know that both of you have been having trouble with your health, do you wish to be drafted?"

"We would prefer not to be. But, if you need us, we will help."

"That's ok, but thank you, Arthur, for the offer. Harry, Fleur and Bill will report to you. Viktor, Percy and Ron will report to you and George, Charlie and Ginny are assigned to you. Now, your first assignment is to go out and recruit. I want to have a meeting a week from today, in this room, to discuss our military activities. We need more people. It's that simple. For right now, start out with people you trust. Go to them first."

Xavier immediately took his seat. Severus stepped up to the head of the table again.

"Now, a few more things. First, I will make sure that I work in tandem with Miss Granger. But, I believe that there is a matter that presses on us more urgently than any. I will ask Mitchell to come up and help me explain this."

Xavier slowly stood and went to his place next to Severus.

"Just after the escape from Azkaban, I was approached by the Dark Lord. He assumes that I am still in his party and still trusts me entirely. As a result, he gave me this."

Severus pulled the Lost Text from his black robes. The room, which had slowly been buzzing, immediately went quiet.

"Please let me finish without interruption. This is the book that contains the magic that allowed Lord Voldemort to come back to life. We had planned to recover the Lost Text as it was. We wanted to bring back Albus Dumbledore. Now, Lord Voldemort has instructed me to do the same thing. While it was originally in our plans to do this, we are not so sure now. What do you think?"

Immediately, the room exploded. Some stood and yelled, while others remained in their seats. But all of them said nearly the same thing.

_How could you consider doing something under the direction of Lord Voldemort!_

Finally, Xavier and Severus were able to get the room under control again. It was Xavier who spoke again.

"I would like you to understand that this was in the plans well before Lord Voldemort suggested it. We need Dumbledore. We would like to continue operating the school during this time and we can't do it if someone isn't around to run it. At the very least, he could do that. But also, it could be just the proof we need to convince people that Lord Voldemort is back."

This time, the room was quieter than it had been all night. No one dared speak a word. Xavier took this as an opportunity to continue.

"We need him. Regardless of whatever Voldemort thinks he can use him for, we need him. He can be our flag, our rallying point. If people know that Dumbledore is alive again, chances are those who would support him would come running back to us. We could fight Voldemort on any terms."

Finally, Harry stood. He moved his chair back and made his way slowly to the front of the room. He leaned in to Xavier.

"Can we do it?" he asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Xavier asked.

"Do we have the knowledge and the ability to do it?" Harry asked, a determined look in his eyes.

"Yes."

Harry confidently turned to the group.

"We need to do it. You all know me. You know I would never do anything to harm you guys. This is the only time I will ever do this. I don't care how we vote or who chooses what. We're doing it."

With that, Harry made his way to the door. But shortly before he left, he stopped and turned back.

"What are we calling ourselves?"

It was Hermione Granger who replied.

"The New Order Army."


	12. The White Tomb

No one had slept. At least not well. The New Order Army, as they called themselves, had taken up quarters inside the old Gryffindor Common Room. Xavier had removed the old enchantments on the rooms that had kept men from entering the female dormitories. They had decided that since everyone there was an adult, there was simply no reason for it. Harry and Ginny shared one room, while Hermione and Ron shared the one above it. Arthur and Molly were above them and Bill and Fleur were higher up. On the other side, Percy and George shared a room.

The common room had been transformed into a living area/kitchen. Hermione and Molly went to work preparing breakfast for the large family the moment they were out of bed. Harry and Ron worked on rearranging the room for the meal, while the rest of the family sat around the large fireplace and simply enjoyed their company.

But, quietly in each person's mind, they were thinking about it. Albus Dumbledore.

They were going to bring him back to life.

Harry had never been more nervous. Harry had faced the darkest wizard of all time numerous times and faced death more times than he could count. But for some reason, the thought of bringing his mentor back from the grave scared him more than anything. He hadn't shared in any of the numerous conversations so far that morning and knew he probably wouldn't for some time.

Suddenly, Xavier entered the room, looking totally unaffected by what was going to happen. He stopped by each table and said small hellos before making his way to Harry.

"I need you, Hermione, and Severus outside in ten minutes." he said urgently.

"Why us?" Harry asked.

"I want the four most powerful of us to do this. We can't screw it up." Xavier said.

And for the first time, he showed that he was just as nervous as Harry. The look in his eye was one of total desperation.

"You are such a politician." Harry said with a smile.

"I don't want them to think I'm worried. We haven't even gotten to fighting back yet. We can't be worried yet." Xavier said.

"Agreed." Harry said.

Xavier instantly turned, presenting himself to the group.

"Harry, Hermione, Severus, and I are going to go out to the grounds now. If you wish to come, that's fine. If not, hopefully we'll be back shortly."

No one moved. Harry and Hermione left their respective tables and followed Xavier to the door. There, Severus was waiting. They had almost made it all the way out the door when Percy Weasley stopped them.

"Xavier, I don't like you. I don't like that you've burrowed yourself into our family and I don't like that you were the one who allowed the greatest spy of the last Wizarding War to take control of things."

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to listen to Percy.

"But, Harry trusts you. And during my time I've learned one thing."

"What's that?" Xavier asked mockingly.

"Harry is the best judge of character I've ever met. The only person that's thrown him off was Snape and that's what Snape wanted. So, if he trusts you, I trust you."

"Thank you, Percy." Xavier said sincerely.

"But, you had better know what you're doing." Percy added.

"We do, Percy." Harry stated.

"Good."

With no other distractions, the four wizards made their way out of the castle. Each had their own thoughts but they focused entirely on what they were about to do.

Precautions had been taken to make sure that no one would witness what they were going to do. All the windows in the castle had been magically transformed to give a false image. Also, the grounds had been made forbidden to the students until lunch.

Almost fifteen minutes later, the four wizards had made their way to the other end of the lake. The White Tomb lay there.

Severus waved his wand and the top of the tomb disappeared, leaving only the purple robe that covered his body. Harry carefully removed it.

Just like those years ago when he had died, he could have been asleep. He lay peacefully on his back, his hands crossed in front of him. The Elder Wand that Harry had placed there remained.

Xavier pulled out his wand and created a small stand in front of him. Then, he withdrew the small text from his robes and placed it there.

"Alright, it actually looks pretty simple. I need one of you at four points, one on each side." Xavier said quickly.

Harry immediately stepped behind Dumbledore's head, while Severus and Hermione took each side. Xavier picked up his stand and moved it to the old Headmaster's feet.

"Now, please take out your wands."

Each slowly did so.

"Now, aim them at the person across from you." Xavier said, a quick look up to make sure they were doing it.

"Now, repeat after me."

_"Amla y opreuc la odnum la revlov. Odnum le arap opreuc la revlov. Opreuc la adiv al revlov. Adiv la a nozaroc le revloved. Nozaroc la amla le revloved." _Xavier said.

_"Amla y opreuc la odnum la revlov. Odnum le arap opreuc la revlov. Opreuc la adiv al revlov. Adiv la a nozaroc le revloved. Nozaroc la amla le revloved." _they repeated.

_"Amla y opreuc la odnum la revlov. Odnum le arap opreuc la revlov. Opreuc la adiv al revlov. Adiv la a nozaroc le revloved. Nozaroc la amla le revloved." _Xavier said again.

_"Amla y opreuc la odnum la revlov. Odnum le arap opreuc la revlov. Opreuc la adiv al revlov. Adiv la a nozaroc le revloved. Nozaroc la amla le revloved." _they repeated again.

"Albus Dumbledore!" Xavier yelled.

"Albus Dumbledore!" they all screamed in response.

Suddenly, each wand lit up. Then, they fire in succession around in a circle, making a cross. The sky turned incredibly dark and cloudly. Lightning flashed and thunder crashed. Then suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit the center of the cross. With that, the cross began to grow in both size and intensity. Suddenly, a beam of white light shot from the center of the cross and into the chest of Albus Dumbledore.

The second that began, each person began having trouble holding on to their wand. Harry knew that they had to hold on. All he could think back to was that fateful night in the graveyard. The first resurrection of Lord Voldemort.

"Hold on!" he yelled instinctively.

Each person nodded in agreement and focused solely on their wand. While each person was thrashed around, none of them released. For nearly three minutes, this continued. Each wizard was getting tired and would soon no longer be able to hold their wand.

Suddenly, the light disappeared. Their wands disconnected and the sky lightened up. Each person looked at one another, they looked for a guarantee. A sign that it had worked.

Then, without hesitation, the crystal blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore shot open.

Harry leaned forward and looked down into the face of the old man.

"Good morning, Headmaster." he said simply.

Severus, who had taken the cursed side of Albus, suddenly started doing something. He had pointed his wand at the black skin on the arm and began muttering something. Soon, the skin began to turn its traditional color and within a minute, it better than ever.

Slowly, Albus Dumbledore sat up and looked around him. Finally, he risked it and spoke.

"Harry, where am I?" he said, albeit very slowly.

"Hogwarts, sir. This is where they buried you." Harry replied, a small tear in his eye.

"Ah, I thought so. So, you found the Lost Text, then?" Albus asked, turning back to Harry.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well, only the Lost Text could have brought me back to life." he said simply.

"You knew about this!" Harry asked with anger. "You told me when Cedric died that there was no way to bring someone back from the dead!"

"Indeed, I did. And at the time, that was the truth. It was just a couple months before my death that I discovered them." Albus said with his trademark smirk.

For a time, no one spoke. Then, Albus, who seemed to be getting used to speaking again, spoke up.

"If I may be so bold to ask, why have you brought me back?"

Xavier stepped forward to speak.

"Professor, we've brought you back so that you could take over Hogwarts in my stead." he said officially.

"Ah, that would make sense. Which one are you, dear boy?" Albus asked cautiously.

"Xavier, sir."

"I thought so. You were so much smarter than your brother." Albus said.

"That, sir, is our problem." Xavier said simply.

"Excuse me?"

"Because of my dear brother, the wizard Merlin was resurrected. He is nothing like we thought at all. He's vicious and angry. It was by his doing that Lord Voldemort lives again."

"Ah, well, that would be a problem." Albus replied.

"That depends on who you ask!" a new voice said.

Looking across the lake, they all saw a man with stunning white hair and white robes. Next to him stood two men. Each of them also had long white hair, although nowhere near as brilliant. With a flash, they were across the lake and face-to-face with them.

Merlin, Lucius, and Draco Malfoy stood before them.

"So, you are the legendary Albus Dumbledore. I'm sorry that your friends had to wake you. You shall be returning shortly." Merlin said arrogantly.

"I should think no. Draco, have you chosen a side?" Dumbledore said shortly.

"I have." Draco said coldly.

"I see. And which side would that be?" Albus said, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Obviously, you know, Headmaster."

With that, Draco tore off his white robes, leaving him in his traditional black attire. He stepped across the empty space between the two groups and took his place next to Harry.

"I'm sick of listening to my father. Besides, white never was my color." Draco said with his traditional sneer.

"You insolent boy!" Lucius yelled. "You dare defy the two Lords! You shall pay with your death!"

"Keep dreaming, old man. Your prime was twenty years ago. The only people that could beat me in a duel stand with me." Draco said, a quick look at the rest of his team.

Harry couldn't believe this way happening. Draco Malfoy, the man responsible for the death of his mentor and one of the greatest slimeballs on the planet, was joining them. He was taking a stand to his father, something Harry couldn't remember him _ever_ doing.

"Glad to have you, Draco." Harry heard himself say.

"No problem, Potter." Malfoy said with his usual cold indifference.

Merlin had simply stood there through this with absolutely no reaction. During the whole conversation, he had simply stood there, calm and collected. But, once everything had settled, Harry could tell one thing. Merlin was there for business. Suddenly, he stepped forward and spoke.

"Well, this has really been a wonderful family reunion, but I must say that we should get on with things. Now, Dumbledore, if you want, you can lay back down on the marble there, so when I kill you, you're already there."

"You know, for a guy who's like 4,000 years old, you sure talk a lot. And why don't you talk in old English or something like that?" Harry said mockingly.

"Potter, its because I'm smarter than everyone here. Voldemort is the only wizard who even comes close to me on the power scale. I can learn new languages or just simply adapt. The fact that you are considered a powerful wizard in this era is a testament to how weak the Wizarding World is without me." Merlin said sharply.

Xavier stepped forward confidently.

"It's because of you that we're at war again. It's because of you that my brother might as well be dead. It's because of you that Lord Voldemort is back. We were fine before you came back. Why do you feel the need to fight us?" Xavier said with passion.

"Because you are weak! You have let the Muggles step all over you! We are more powerful than them. It's that simple. And you hide from them! So, Lord Voldemort and I will take things back and control the Muggles. It's for our good and theirs. It's for the greater good!" Merlin replied furiously.

With that, Albus Dumbledore stepped forward. No longer did he appear to be a weak old man who was just brought back from the dead. Now, he appeared to be the wizard he had been, the most powerful and best duelist in the world.

"The sign of a great wizard is not that they can control others. It's that they can lead others." Albus said swiftly.

"Ah, but you see Dumbledore, I do lead! There are those who follow me. I do not force them to." Merline said arrogantly.

"Yeah, but they're only there because they fear you. Or because they believe in some silly pureblood crap." Harry said confidently.

Merlin stepped forward, looking Harry in the eye. Harry could hardly believe what he saw. Somehow, his eyes told his story.

"You were once a great wizard, weren't you?" Harry asked.

"I AM A GREAT WIZARD!" Merlin bellowed as he drew his wand.

Instantly, each wizard pulled their wand and aimed them at the other side. Quickly, Harry motioned for them to put them down. They did so, but each of them silently vowed to protect Harry in case something went wrong.

"What I mean was that you were once respected by the whole Wizarding World." Harry stated.

"Of course I was! I am the greatest wizard to ever live. I should be worshipped, not talked to like a child, Potter!" Merlin replied, anger seeping into each word.

"Why?" Harry asked softly.

Merlin's anger rose to a new level.

"What did you say to me, Potter?" he asked with fury.

"You heard me." Harry replied confidently.

"I am the greatest wizard to ever live. It's as simple as that." Merlin replied, his voice thick with arrogance.

Harry turned and looked straight at Albus.

"Just because you are powerful doesn't make you great. You have to deserve to be great. I believe that a long time ago, you deserved that. But not anymore." he said calmly. Then, he turned back to Merlin.

"Albus Dumbledore is the greatest wizard I have ever met. Even in his old age, he is incredibly powerful. Now, you believe yourself to be more powerful and that may be the case. _But_, you are not greater. Greatness is not defined by your ability. It is defined by what you do with it. Maybe a long time ago, you used your great abilities for good. Now, you do it for greed and glory and for those reasons alone, you are not great."

Merlin just stood there, speechless. He made no motion and didn't even seem to be breathing. Then, suddenly, he began to laugh. It started as nothing more than a chuckle but within seconds, he was in the middle of a full on laughing attack.

"HA HAHEH HA HA! You are a fool, Potter. Greatness is simply measured by how history will remember you. History will remember me as the greatest wizard of all time because I will control everything! I will write the history books! And when I do, Potter, I will ensure that you are nothing more than a footnote!"

Suddenly, Merlin thrust his wand forward, attacking Harry. But, before the attack could even get close, it was blocked by three different spells. Harry turned to see Xavier, Severus, and Hermione, wands drawn, aimed at the spot where they had all hit the curse.

Harry quickly turned to the small group.

"Xavier, stay with me. Draco, go with them to the castle and then come back. Severus and Hermione, please take Professor Dumbledore back to the castle and to my office. Talk to no one. You know the password."

"But--" Hermione started to say.

"GO!" Harry bellowed. "We don't have time for this."

And with that, Draco, Hermione, Severus, and Albus began to flee to the castle. Xavier and Harry turned back to face Lucius and Merlin when suddenly Xavier turned back again quickly and ran. Harry was about to turn and chase him, when he saw why he had run.

Draco Malfoy had taken his place.

"Ah, decided to join the fun, did we, Draco?" Merlin called out.

"No," Draco replied simply. "I'm here to kill my father."

And with that they began. All four of them were expert duelists. Each of them had trained for years and were not trained to back down at all. However, Draco and Harry had something that Lucius and Merlin did not have.

_"Do you trust me, Potter?" Draco thought silently to Harry._

_"Malfoy! I did until you waltzed into my brain!" Harry fired back._

_"I know you've experienced this before. Do you trust me with it?" Draco replied._

_"Yes! Now get your goddamn father!" _

It looked like a dance. Each time one of them fired, another would block it. While Lucius and Merlin were more experienced, they were not a team. For the first time since they had met each other, Harry and Draco put aside their differences and fought as a team. They were unbreakable. Each time that Lucius or Merlin thought they had an advantage, Harry and Draco would counter it perfectly.

Unknown to them, none of the other group had actually entered the castle. In fact, they hadn't even gotten to the other side of the lake. They could see the whole thing from where they were at.

"They're amazing..." Hermione said softly.

"Draco and Harry were two of the brightest students to ever enter Hogwarts. Unfortunately, their rivalry prevented them from acknowledging that." Albus said confidently.

"I remember it from school. They hated each other." Xavier said with wonder.

"You have no idea." Severus said quickly.

"Why not?" Xavier replied.

"Because you weren't in school then." Severus shot back.

"Ok, then explain it to me." Xavier said.

"Basically, Draco started working for the Death Eaters during our sixth year." Hermione started. "All year, Harry thought that was the case. However, no one believed him. So, one time, he followed him into a bathroom and confronted him. They dueled and Harry used a really nasty curse on Draco. Then, Draco was responsible for letting the Death Eaters into the school."

"Wait a minute, wasn't that the night that...you.." Xavier faltered.

"Yes, that was the night that I died." Albus said quietly.

"Albus was Harry's idol. Harry has never really forgiven him." Hermione replied.

"Well, he had better. He sent us away so they could even the odds." Snape said. "They need to win."

They were silent for a few moments as they watch the duel. While they couldn't really see the people, they could see the colors the duel gave off. Red, blue, white, orange, and even green. It was like watching fireworks.

"It's hard to believe that something so beautiful could lead to someone dying." Hermione said.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back on the other side of the lake, nothing had change. Neither side had been able to break into the armor of the other. Lucius and Merlin were too good and Harry and Draco were basically thinking as one mind.

Suddenly, Lucius and Merlin both stopped.

"This is really getting us nowhere, don't you think?" Merlin said.

"I would agree." Lucius chirped in.

"We don't care." Harry and Draco said together.

"I thought so. You've linked your minds. Oh, you are tricky." Merlin said before he began another assault and the battle started up again right where it left off.

_"Potter, have you fired one Killing Curse!" Draco yelled silently._

_"No! I can't seem to do it!" Harry cursed._

_"Seriously! Just think about Voldemort. Because of him your parents, your godfather, your godchild's parents, and dozens of people you knew are dead!" Draco screamed in Harry's head._

Suddenly, there was a small hole in their armor. Draco had hit his father very hard with a spell and nearly knocked him off of his feet. Merlin was paying far too much attention to this to adequately defend himself. Harry took this opportunity to fire.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

It had worked. For the first time in his life, he had shot to kill. Unfortunately, Merlin was just quick enough to block it. However, Draco had been ready just seconds after Harry.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

His didn't miss. He hit his father square in the chest. Lucius Malfoy's body was flung up in the air. It landed nearly twenty feet behind where it had been before. His eyes started into the sky, lifeless.

With this, Draco broke the connection between the two of them. They each pointed their wand at Merlin.

"Ah boys, I do believe it is time for me to go!" Merlin mocked.

Suddenly, he disappeared.

Seconds later, the other group approached them again. When they had seen the bright green flash and the following flare, they knew that it had hit something. They came running up to them. Harry instantly approached Xavier.

"I thought you couldn't Apparate off the grounds!" Harry yelled into his face.

"You can't, Harry! He didn't Apparate. He must have Transfigured himself into vapor or something like that. Trust me. We would have known if he would have try to Apparate here." Xavier replied earnestly.

Harry was beyond angry. Not only had he gotten away, they had no idea why he had come and where he was going. Suddenly, Harry turned to Malfoy.

"Malfoy! How in the hell did you get here and why was he coming!" he screamed.

"He came because he learned from Voldemort that you have the Text. For some reason, he didn't want you to have it. And I have no idea how we got here. One minute we were at my place, another we were here. We definitely didn't Apparate." Malfoy said.

Finally, Harry calmed down. He turned to Albus.

"I'm glad you're back, Professor. I'm sorry you had to see that." Harry said disappointed.

"Harry, I understand war greatly. I would rather see you kill then be killed. I say that because I know that if you don't, then our ideals will die with us."

"Thanks, Professor." Harry replied.

"Although I must tell you now, I will aid you by running the school through the end of the school year. I am afraid, however, that after that, I will be leaving England forever. I am growing weary of the constant battles that we seem to fight here. I never did get my customary trip around the world and I will be taking that and then settling down somewhere far, far away from here. " Albus said sadly.

Xavier approached him.

"Professor, we need you. I can understand that you are tired of all this. We all are. But, if we're to win, we need your help." he said.

"You see, Xavier, that is just the problem. This is no longer my fight." Albus said.

"I don't believe that for a minute, sir. I think you'll realize that." Xavier replied confidently.

"We shall see." Albus said quietly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

During this time, no one had seen Draco Malfoy quietly slip away from the group. During their conversation, he had walked over to the body of his dead father. He had no idea what to feel. This man was his father. No, his father had died when he chose to go back to this life. When Voldemort had been defeated, it seemed he had quit. He was just going to be a normal person. Then, Merlin came to his door and he was gone. My father had died then.

Draco hadn't even noticed that the rest of the group had come up behind him. Hermione Granger stepped forward.

"I'm sorry, Draco." she said softly.

Draco laughed.

"I'm not. I did it." he said simply.

"Really?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah. Hit him right in the chest." Draco said.

Draco stood slowly.

"He wasn't my father anymore anyway. He was just an old hateful man. All my life all I wanted was for him to be normal. For him to just want to be a normal father. But he couldn't do it. He was a bigot and a racist and now that I think about it, I don't think he ever loved me. Not as much as he should have anyway."

And with that, Draco Malfoy had renounced his father. Now, he just had something else to do.

"Potter!" he yelled.

Harry turned and looked at him.

"All I wanted was his approval. I did some awful things trying to do it. I'm not proud of my childhood, but I know that I've changed. I'm not my father." he said as he looked at the ground.

"That's good enough for me, Malfoy." Harry said with a small smile.


	13. First Strike

**A/N: I've changed the rating of this story from T to M. The storyline I have planned just wouldn't fit into the T rating without severely watering it down, which I don't want to do. I promise nothing too crazy. But, I can say this. The characters in this story are all adults and some of them just happen to be sociopathic maniacs. **

One week later

Xavier had spent the past week silently recruiting. Various people that weren't on the run from the law had tried to be more vocal about it with little to no success. Then, the day before the first public meeting of the New Order Army, Xavier's office began getting Owls nearly every five minutes. They were from old classmates and acquaintances, people he hadn't seen or heard from in years.

He had been out of school for nearly twelve years and Harry had been out of school almost ten. None of the classmates he had remembered would have been old enough to have kids in school yet.

On the evening before the first meeting, Harry walked into his office.

"Harry, I've been getting letters all day. I've got letters from Lavender Brown, Lee Jordan, and about a dozen others. All of them said that they were going to be at the meeting tomorrow night. What happened? Who did this?" Xavier asked.

"I did." Harry replied simply.

"How?" Xavier replied shocked.

"I'm simply said there is a new threat and the world could use Dumbledore's Army again." Harry replied.

"That's all it took?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah. It seems his name still carries a lot of weight around here." Harry said.

"And so does yours, Harry. Speaking of which, Albus, could you come down here?" Xavier asked softly.

The old man came down the spiral staircase that sat in the middle of the Headmaster's office. He was obviously not as nimble as he used to be. He took a while getting down the stairs and walked very slowly over to the desk. He sat gently in the seat next to Harry.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Albus said softly.

"Albus, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?" Xavier scolded.

"My apologies, Xavier." Albus said sheepshly.

"It's ok, Albus. Now, I would like you to attend tomorrow night's meeting." Xavier said succintly.

"Why?" Albus asked.

"Our main purpose for the meeting will be to convince those that attend that Lord Voldemort has returned. They will not listen. At least not right away. However, if we bring you into the room, they'll understand that it is possible." Xavier replied.

"But, how will they know it's me?" Albus asked again.

"Albus, all you have to do is Patronus. Only you could possibly have that Patronus." Harry said.

"Ah."

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Alright, go and get some sleep. At noon tomorrow, we began to fight back." Xavier said

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, the original members of the New Order Army met in the Great Hall. Xavier had decided that since so many people had responded that they would use the Great Hall due to its vast size. The long tables had been pushed to the side and had been replaced with numerous small chairs.

At ten til noon, people started pouring into the Great Hall. Xavier realized that this was more that just a meeting. It was a reunion of sorts. While Xavier had been two years older than Harry, he had hung out with people from many different years. This allowed him to recognize a vast majority of people from his time at school, some of which were sure to show up for the meeting. The first person to enter the Hall was Neville Longbottom. Xavier had always been surprised when he had learned that he had been hired as the Herbology professor here. But in his time as Headmaster, he had learned just how gifted Neville was at Herbology. He had a surprising knack for being able to identify with his students while still being a teacher in their eyes.

A few moments later, Ernie MacMillan walked in. Ernie had left England just weeks after their last year at Hogwarts. He had spent the next year travelling around the world, seeing the sights. Eventually, he settled down in Brazil and helped teach students at the school there. He had been back in England only once since then and until he had heard from Harry had little plans to return.

Following Ernie in was a whole swarm of former Dumbledore's Amry members. Seamus Finnigan, Angela Johnson, Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas. Xavier saw Cho Chang, Harry's old girlfriend. He saw Oliver Wood, keeper for the Puddlemore United. He also saw Marcus Flint, former Slytherin Chaser and Captain. Xavier looked around the room and noticed that he and Malfoy were the only two Slytherin there. Xavier couldn't say that this surprised him. Slytherin House was notoriously against Harry Potter. However, there were a few that managed to surprise him, Malfoy included.

Finally, right at noon, Harry stood up to the podium that had been placed at the front of the room.

"Hey guys. I know for some of us it's been a long time and later we'll be able to talk until we're blue in the face. But for right now, we have business we need to attend to. I'm going to call Hermione Granger and Xavier Mitchell to the front to brief you on our situation."

Xavier made his way to the front and saw Hermione doing the same from the other side. When they got to the front, Hermione stopped Xavier.

"What do we tell them?" Hermione asked softly, barely above a whisper.

"The truth." Xavier whispered back.

Then, they both turned to the front.

"Hello everyone. We're glad you're here today," Hermione started. "We have some things that we wish to tell you."

Xavier cleared his throat and began.

"Six months ago, Marcus Roper took over as Minister and Harry, Hermione, and I were imprisoned for the murder of three members of the terrorist group, Crescent Moon. There are a couple things wrong with this. First, since we declared war on that group, our laws clearly state that our actions would have been an act of war. Secondly, we did not do this. We were, however, witness to who did do it."

"Well, then who did do it!" someone yelled from the back.

Hermione stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Roper did it." she said simply.

"That's ridiculous!" Padma Patil yelled from the third row. "Why would he do something like that?"

Xavier took the opportunity to reply.

"Think very hard about this. How many of you had heard of Roper before he took over?" Xavier said calmly.

Everyone looked around, each of them thinking to themselves. No one replied or even bothered to offer an answer. He was completely anonymous before his time as Minister. No one had seen him or even heard his name mentioned in conversation.

"That's what I thought. None of you. Don't you think its strange that a complete stranger that no one has even heard of just magically comes in and becomes the new Minister? There's a reason for this. Now, before you react to what I am about to say, please hear us out." Xavier said swiftly.

Everyone stood on the edge of their seats. Suddenly, Harry stood in the front row, turned to the crowd gathered there and spoke.

"Roper is Lord Voldemort."

Instantly, the room was launched into complete pandemonium. People stood, shouted, screamed, and caused chaos. Eventually, Xavier quieted the crowd with a couple loud cracks from his wand.

"Calm down! What Harry says is true! Harry has never led you wrong before. He tells you the truth." Xavier yelled with fire in his eyes.

Again, the room exploded. Some people started to fire curses to the front of the room. Xavier stepped forward and blocked all of them with one swift motion before firing four more loud cracks to calm the crowd.

"Now, we assumed this would happen. But, we have proof. While we have nothing to say that Roper is Lord Voldemort, we do have proof that it is possible." Xavier said before turning to Ron, who stood next to a door that lead into the Hall.

"Let him in." Xavier said simply.

Within moments, the long, aged wizard stepped into the hall. A room that had moments before been loud and raucous and angry sat in silence. Albus Dumbledore walked up and stood, towering, next to Xavier.

"I'm sure you all know Albus Dumbledore." Xavier said simply, with a small smirk on his face.

A few people chuckled uncomfortably. No one seemed to be able to say anything. Suddenly, Dean Thomas stood.

"Xavier, Harry, how are we supposed to know that it's him? I mean, couldn't it just be someone using the Polyjuice Potion?" Dean said tentively.

"That is true." Harry said. "However, would a fake be able to do this?" Harry said, motioning to Albus.

Suddenly, with a quick flick of his wrist, a silver phoenix erupted from the end of his wand. It flew in circles over the crowd. The phoenix flew with a remarkable grace. It didn't seem to be moving at all. It just floated around the candles in the Great Hall.

Then, quietly a first, a small cry was heard. Then another and another still. It continued on for more than a minute. No one seemed to know where it was coming from. But with each cry, it got louder and more powerful. Then, almost as if the wind blew it in, a red blur flashed down the main aisle in seconds. It flew right above Albus and Xavier and finally slowed down. It flew up to the silver phoenix and flew alongside it for a few seconds before flying back down and landing just steps in front of Dumbledore.

"Fawkes?" Harry said softly.

"Ah yes." Albus said quickly. "It is good to see you, dear friend."

The room was buzzing. Everyone had remembered hearing the cry of the phoenix just moments after the death of Albus Dumbledore. They remembered how sad it had been and although this cry was much happier, there was no mistaking it. It was definitely the same as the one all those years ago.

Suddenly, Xavier stepped back to the center of the stage.

"Lord Voldemort has taken over again. We cannot sit back and watch as he destroys everything we've worked so hard to build. At one point, almost all of us were all members of someone that opposed Lord Voldemort: The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, or The New Order. A small group of us have already begun to fight back. We call ourselves the New Order Army. If you would like to see Britain returned to the way things should be, join us. Join us and fight Lord Voldemort."

The room continued to buzz. Then, without further prompting, people began to stand. They came to the front and signed the small sheet of paper they had laid out. Eventually, everyone in the room signed it. When everyone had taken their seats again, Xavier spoke.

"Thank you and welcome to the NOA. Now, there are a couple things we need to address. If you betray us, don't even bother coming back. It used to be that we would have allowed you back. However, that has only shown Lord Voldemort that we are weak. We are not weak! Not if we stand together! The people you see in front of you will be your commanders. Soon, you will get an assignment from your commander. Do just as it says. Only share your membership of the NOA with those you trust most. If they wish to join, they can come here. From there, they will be put to the test to assure their allegiance."

Xavier took a short break and looked about. He could tell that fear had returned to the eyes of everyone. Instantly, he changed his mind.

"Do not be afraid! This castle is a fortress. I spoke too soon. We will not ask you to live at your homes unprotected. Instead, we will make room for you here. Bring your families. They will be safe here. However, members of the NOA are not here just for protection. We shall fight back against Lord Voldemort!"

The fear in the crowd was not completely gone, but it was definitely less noticeable. People actually had some small smiles on their faces. But, the most common look was that of determination. A determination to beat Lord Voldemort at all costs.

"Lastly, Lord Voldemort has an assistant now. He calls himself Mercer Chaplin. He was the head of Crescent Moon who has since joined Lord Voldemort. Mercer Chaplin is not his real name. Just as Tom Riddle now calls himself Voldemort, Mercer Chaplin calls himself Merlin."

"Is he the real thing!" Seamus Finnigan asked.

"No!" Xavier lied. "He is not! He wishes himself to be but he is not. Do not listen to his ramblings about his power and strength. He just wishes to be that strong. He wishes to be powerful. But, he is not! We are powerful!"

The room exploded. People stood and cheered.

"Alright everyone, the time has come. Go home and gather your families. You have two days to come back. If you do not return, you will not be granted access to the castle. Tell your families that you will be safe here. I guarantee it! Once everyone has returned, we shall divide you up into units and give you your initial orders."

With that, everyone got up from their chairs and with some small conversation, they left.

Xavier was about to leave when he heard his name being called. He turned to see Demelza running towards him.

"Xavier, are you guys serious about this?" she asked softly.

"Incredibly. If Lord Voldemort gains any more power, we'll never be able to take it back. We have to do it now."

She looked at the crowd of people that was walking away.

"Some of them will die won't they?" she questioned.

"We plan on preventing that." Xavier replied firmly.

"But some will?" she pressed on.

"Yes," Xavier replied sadly. "There's no way around it. We can't afford to fight like we did the last time. We actually have to go out and fight him. Meet him head on. It's going to be a war."

She looked at the floor and then back up into Xavier's eyes. She had tears flowing down her face.

"Then, I want to stay with you. That's the only way I'll feel safe." she said softly.

"Demelza, I promise I will do whatever I can to keep you safe." Xavier replied.

With that, he stepped forward and embraced her. He held her close as she sobbed into his shoulder. Xavier had never cared for anyone like he did Demelza. While they had only gone on a few dates, he felt that there was something different about her. So, when she said that she wanted him to protect her, he never even considered not helping her.

A few minutes later, Xavier led Demelza out of the Great Hall and up to his office. Once they were inside, she sat in front of his desk.

"Have you ever been in here?" Xavier asked.

"No. It's weird thinking that I've gone on a date with the Headmaster of Hogwarts." Demelza said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, I think I'm the first Headmaster in school history who's young enough to date." Xavier replied.

"That's probably true. Where do you sleep?" Demelza asked.

"Up on the second floor, there's a locked door up there that only I can open. It leads to my bedroom." Xavier explained.

"Oh, ok. Do you mind if I stay with you? The whole thought that we're going back to war scares me. I could use some company tonight." Demelza said softly.

Xavier walked back from his place on the other side of the desk and knelt in front of her. He grabbed her small hand and took it in between his two large hands. He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the back of hers. Then, he looked up into her brown eyes.

"Demelza, I would love that." he said quietly.

Then, he stood, pulling her up with him. He looked down at her and smiled. The tears that had once been in her eyes were now gone and joy seemed to engulf them. Xavier leaned forward and placed his lips gently on hers. It had been so long since he had kissed her. It had been the last time he had seen her before he got sent to Azkaban. Her lips were soft and gentle.

Instinctively, Xavier grabbed the back of her head and pulled her closer. He took a deep breath and deepened the kiss. Slowly, he felt her tongue breach his lips and touch the end of his own. It was the most euphoric sensation he had ever felt. Xavier had been a self-proclaimed bachelor his whole life. Never before had he even thought that a feeling like this was a possibility.

Before he knew it, he had turned Demelza around and sat her on his desk. He continued to kiss her with everything he had. He knew that he never wanted to let her go. She quickly wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in tigher. He could feel her athletic body rub against his, her flat stomach against his own. She grabbed the edges of his heavy cloak and helped him throw it to the chair next to them.

Xavier had never been known to act rashly. However, Xavier had also never let his emotions take hold of him. Suddenly, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it gracelessly over her head and threw it on the floor. Her body was in tune for Quidditch. A flat stomach, strong shoulders, and slender arms. Her black bra hugged perfectly in all the right places and let other places be seen.

Quickly, Xavier's lips left Demelza's and began to follow a trail down her neck. A short moan escaped her lips, letting Xavier know that he was doing the right thing. Soon enough, she had reached and pulled his shirt off as well. While he had never been an athlete of any kind, Auror training taught him to keep his body in good shape. Xavier continued to kiss her neck before she grabbed his face and pulled it up to hers.

"Can we go upstairs?" she asked breathlessly.

Xavier nodded and they both ran up the stairs. Xavier walked to the door in the back of the room and waved his hand. The door recognized him and opened instantly. Xavier and Demelza raced inside. Inside was a large bed with a canopy. Pictures and newspaper clippings of things that Xavier was proud of hung along the walls. When they saw who was entering, each portrait hastily made their way to another picture out of courtesy.

Xavier threw Demelza onto the bed and fell on top of her. His hands slowly traced the outline of her stomach as he continued to kiss her passionately. Finally, she grabbed the top of his pants and pulled them down. He clumsily threw them of the bed. Then, he got up on his knee and undid the button on her pants. As he pulled them towards her feet, he kissed each part of her leg along the way. She shuddered softly with each one.

Once Xavier had taken the off and set them to the side, he reclaimed his place on top of her. He looked into her eyes. He had never seen anything so beautiful. She pulled him down and gave his one last kiss. Then, she looked back into his eyes.

"I want this, Xavier." she said longingly.

"Are you sure?" Xavier asked.

"Of course." Demelza replied with a smile.

"I love you." Xavier replied.

"I love you too."

Each of them took off their respective undergarment. Xavier again took his place on top of her.

"Have you ever done this?" Xavier asked.

"Once, it was a mistake." Demelza replied.

"I hope this won't be." Xavier replied.

And with that, he plunged inside of her. The feeling was incredible. He had thought that the taste of her lips was the greatest thing he would experience that day. He was wrong. Slowly, he started to rock back and forth within her. With each movement, their breathing would deepen. Xavier leaned forward and bit her bottom lip, causing Demelza to groan with pleasure. Xavier's hands made their way to her back, where he carefully removed her bra, exposing her breasts. Xavier continued to press himself further inside of her with each stroke.

Within minutes, each of them were crying out, professing their love to one another. Suddenly, he could feel her getting ready to come. He looked at her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth hung open. With each plunge into her, she would let out a louder and louder moan until finally, her body seized and rocked hard against him. Her eyes flashed open and she grabbed the bed for support. Her voice sent Xavier to another world. Each noise she made pushed him closer to the edge. And the closer he got, the faster his movements were. Demelza was no longer just moaning, she was screaming. Screaming with pleasure. She screamed for Xavier. Suddenly, Xavier could feel it. With one last sudden movement, he came into her.

His body felt like it wanted to collapse. Instead, he laid back down and kissed Demelza again.

"Nope, definitely not a mistake." Demelza said, obviously out of breath.

The two of them would go at it several more times that night.

Finally, once they were done, they laid next to each other, naked as the day they were born. They would fall asleep and wake up the next morning in the same position they had left it. Xavier had never been so happy in his entire life.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later, the doors to the castle were closed. No one knew the next time they would be opened. A good portion of the student body had been requested to be sent home when they discovered that Xavier was back. Those that remained had forgone most of their classwork and were choosing to help the New Order.

The large group of people that had returned waited for instructions in the Great Hall. Xavier and Hermione stood at the front, waiting for the rest of their small group. When Hermione spotted Harry and Ginny standing off to the side, they called for the attention of everyone there and began to speak.

"We would like to thank you all for coming back." Xavier started. "Your attendance here today shows us just how serious you are about making things better for us. Now, I will turn things over to Hermione who will explain to you how we got here and what we are going to do next."

Hermione stepped forward and with a flick of her wand towards her throat, her voice was magnified.

"Hello everyone. One week ago, we had a meeting with the initial group of NOA members. For the most part, it was close friends and family of Harry Potter, the man who killed Lord Voldemort. However, we knew that we could not win on our own and so we extended an invitation to you all to join. In the meantime, we selected leaders of military and governmental operations. I was selected by that group to head the government while Xavier was selected to run the military. This is how things will be for the short future. However, in due time, everyone will get their say as to who their leader will be."

Hermione stopped. She was sure that she was going to be presented with at least one question on how unfair that was. However, no such question arose and she continued.

"When you arrived today, we took your name. With that, we were able to quickly look at your N.E.W.T. scores and your job history since then. This has allowed us to properly place each person in their respective unit. Xavier, would you like to talk about that?" Hermione said, returning the floor to the young headmaster.

"Of course," Xavier replied. "When I was selected to head the military for the NOA, I then selected three wizards to be my main field commanders. They are Harry Potter, Viktor Krum, and George Weasley. Would you three please come forward?"

Time was given so the three commanders could make their way to the front. Once they had taken their place next to Xavier, he continued.

"These three men are some of the greatest wizards of our time. In time, we shall be receiving help from the French, German, and Eastern European Ministries. As such, Viktor Krum is here to assist us in the long run. These three wizards will hold positions over two small squad leaders. These squad leaders are Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Bill Weasley, Fleur Weasley, Percy Weasley, and Charlie Weasley. Please make your way to the front."

Again, he waited for all six squad leaders to make their way to the front before continuing.

"Now, I know that we seem to be a little Weasley heavy. However, I must say that each of these witches and wizards are incredibly accomplished in their own way and that I have no doubt that they are among the most qualified for the job at hand. All of them were members of either Dumbledore's Army or the Order of the Phoenix and are incredibly adept at combat. Now, next comes you. Each of these six will have five or six of you assigned to them. You will need to follow their orders to the letter. It is only in this way that we can be truly effective. Now, without further adieu, your assignments are as follows: Harry Potter will lead the Stag Patrol. His squad leaders are Fleur and Bill. Fleur's squad will include Neville Longbottom, Zachary Rhine, Terry Boot, Elphias Doge, and Hannah Abbott. Bill will be in charge of Hermione Granger, Ernie MacMillan, Lavender Brown, Justin Finch-Fletchey, and Michael Corner. Aberforth Dumbledore will join you at a later date."

Xavier waited as these groups collected at the front and then divided into their own particular squads. Then, he continued.

"Viktor will lead the Eagle Patrol with Percy and Ron assisting him. Percy will command Oliver Wood, Dennis Creevey, Katie Bell, Anthony Goldstein, and Angelina Johnson. Ron will lead Demelza Robins, Draco Malfoy, Seamus Finnigan, and Parvarti Patil. Once Hagrid has finished some of his school duties, he will join you as well."

Again, he waited just a short time.

"Finally, George will lead the Wolf Patrol with Ginny and Charlie at his side. Ginny will head a group of Dean Thomas, Luna Lovegood, and Susan Bones. Deladus Diggle and Professor Flitwick will join you as needed. Charlie, you will lead Lee Jordan, Cho Chang, Padma Patil, Marcus Flint, and Marietta Edgecombe."

Finally, the last group formed. Once they were all together, Xavier spoke the crowd for the final time.

"While we are separated, we must work together otherwise there can be no chance of success. Within time, everyone will be given a chance to lead. But, know that you are already leaders. You have chosen to separate yourselves from the world in order to combat the evil at the heart of our Ministry. That starts today. These are your first orders. Stag Patrol, you are to begin infiltration. Most of you work at the Ministry. Learn how to get a large group of us inside. Don't do anything to get yourselves noticed. Harry, if it ok with you, use your home as HQ for the time being."

"No problem, Xavier." Harry replied.

"Wonderful. Eagle Patrol, you are placed on defense. Your assignment is to simply work to fortify the castle. While this may seem dull work, it could prove to be of vital importance if Lord Voldemort has his say about things."

"Vill do." Viktor said strongly.

"Now, Wolf Patrol, I want you to work sources. Go to people that you know hold information about Lord Voldemort and Chaplin. We need to know their plans, both immediate and long term. Hit up any old Death Eaters, even if it means leaving the country. Also, anyone that supported Lord Voldemort's last reign of terror needs to be looked at."

"Gotcha." George replied with a smile.

"Now, to get back into the castle, Aberforth has arranged for us to Apparate to the back of the Hog's Head. From there, he will lead you the way back to the castle." Xavier stated.

Then, he paused. The gravity of it all seemed to hit everyone. Things were already moving. In just a short time, they would launch their first movement against Lord Voldemort's regime. Suddenly, Harry stepped forward.

"I know what everyone must be thinking. Don't be nervous. We are in the hands of some of the greatest wizards of all time." Harry said.

"Yourself included." George cracked.

"Thanks. We can do this. We just need to be overly prepared for anything that can come our way. We need any advantage we can get. No job is too small. If any one of us gives you a job, do it to the best of your ability. We obviously trust you to do that job and we believe that it is of the utmost importance to our cause." Harry said strongly.

"Harry's right." Xavier said. "We can defeat him. We just have to plan for it. But, for now, you have your orders. Now go!" Xavier's voice boomed.

With that, each group held a short meeting to determine targets and jobs for each person. Fifteen minutes later, the Hall was empty. Everyone that needed to leave had gone to Hogsmeade where they could easily Apparate away from there. Of the small group that stayed, most of the went to the Library to begin research on the castle.

The small group of leaders remained in the Entrace Hall. Slowly, Harry turned to Xavier.

"You believe everything you say, don't you?" Harry said.

"Why wouldn't I?" Xavier asked.

"Because we remember what it was like the last time." Harry replied.

"Well, we won then. And we weren't nearly as prepared." Xavier stated.

"So you think we can win?" Ron asked softly, hoping no one heard him.

"Of course." Harry and Xavier said in unison.

There was a brief pause. Then, Viktor spoke.

"I hope you are right. Othervise, ve are in great trouble."

With that, the small Cabal left the Hall, lost in their own thoughts.


	14. Declaration

Harry had slept well in three days. It had been three days since they had started their war against Lord Voldemort. Xavier had made the important decision to remain as quiet as possible for as long as we could. We didn't want anyone to find out about what we had been doing. Harry agreed. He felt that it was the only way they could beat Voldemort. They needed to get a drop on him before he was even aware of what was going on.

The first day hadn't gone well. Harry's group had gone out and found absolutely nothing. Lord Voldemort had done such a good job of covering his tracks that it would take weeks to get even a small bit of information on his plans. Even then, some of the members of his patrol didn't even work at the Ministry and as such, could only offer back-up to those going inside.

Luckily, both the other groups had gotten somewhere. Viktor's group, with Xavier's permission, had begun to build defense towers along the grounds. These towers could be occupied by sharpshooters or could simply operate as an advanced alarm system if no one was there. Also, George's group had found out from some people that there were rumors that Roper was planning on pardoning some of the Death Eaters in Azkaban, along with former Ministry Undersecretary Dolores Umbridge. While the scars on his hand had long faded, the memories remained bright to this day. Each person that George's patrol had talked to had a Memory Charm placed on them.

Unfortunately, it appeared that it didn't work nearly as well as they thought they did. Harry woke up in his old room in Gryffindor Tower with his usual Daily Prophet owl awaiting him. He took the paper and walked down to the common room. Unsurprisingly, he was the only person there. He had continued to get the Prophet as a means to help Xavier determine strategy. While Lord Voldemort had definitely learned from his past attempt to lead the country, and kept changes to the minimum for the time being, the Prophet had seen an obvious change. Almost every day, there was an article updating the country on the crimes and misdeeds of Harry Potter. He thought that it seemed impossible. Numerous times in the last week, he had killed people on opposite ends of the country in less than five minutes, while stealing from a small family farm on the way. While most of the Prophet was rubbish, Harry did notice one incredibly unsettling article.

_**The New Order Resurfaces  
**by: Frank Humprehey_

_ Unknown sources say that a group of rebel witches and wizards invaded the home of Narcissa Malfoy last night. There, they tortured her about information on the activites on the Ministry of Magic and in particular, Minister Roper. Narcissa Malfoy is the widow of former respected Ministry worker, Lucius Malfoy. Lucius was killed earlier this week on a mission with Mercer Chaplin, Head of the Auror Office. While his assailant is unknown, it is highly suspected that the culprit was Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy, 29, was last seen at Azkaban Prison assisting in the breakout of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Xavier Mitchell. He, along with these three, have been given top priority by the Auror Office. All four are considered incredibly dangerous and should not be apprehended without Ministry assistance._

_During the course of their assault on Malfoy Manor, Narcissa states that one of her assailants mentioned something about the "Order." Then, they attempted to perform a Memory Charm on her. Fortunately, the charm did not seem to take hold and Mrs. Malfoy was able to provide the Ministry with a list of her attackers. They are as follows: Charlie Weasley, Lee Jordan, Cho Chang, Padma Patil, Marcus Flint, and Marietta Edgecombe. Charlie Weasley was an known member of the Order of the Phoenix during the second reign of He Who Must Not Be Named. _

_In the last months before a vicious attack on three innocent men, Hermione Granger created a small group of trusted confidants known as the New Order. This group included Harry Potter and Xavier Mitchell, her assistants in that attack. The Ministry has stated that they believe that the Weasley family has joined forces with the escaped convicts in order to recreate the New Order._

_"We will go and find these people." Minister Roper said in a meeting with the press last night. "These people are incredibly dangerous and they must be apprehended for the safety of England."_

_Minister Roper has named the Weasley family and any old members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, or the New Order as enemies of the state. As a result, they are to be brought in as soon as possible. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please contact Minister Roper or Mercer Chaplin in the Auror Office._

They had been discovered. While no one really knew how organized they actually where, it was there in writing. Something had gone wrong. In some way, they had been caught and soon enough Lord Voldemort would know all about them.

Suddenly, Xavier burst into the room.

"We need to talk." Xavier said.

"I know." Harry replied grimly.

"Have you seen the paper?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah."

"Ok, well I got this just after the paper." Xavier replied as he handed a small piece of paper to Harry.

Harry looked down. It was short note written in very sharp handwriting.

_Good morning, New Order. I will ask you only once: leave the country. If you do, I won't have to kill you.  
Potter, I know you think you're brave. Don't be. Run and hide. I will do my best to forget you even existed, although I make no promises  
If you don't leave, I will organize the military that you helped set up and I will hunt you down._

_V_

"What do we do?" Xavier asked when it was obvious Harry was done reading.

"He knows." Harry said softly.

"Obviously he knows. What do you think we should do about it?" Xavier retorted.

"Nothing." Harry said shortly.

"What do you mean?" Xavier asked.

"Whatever you were planning on doing, do it. He's not going to get me to leave the country. We just have to continue forward." Harry said calmly.

"You know what this means right?" Xavier asked again.

"What?" Harry replied.

"The next time someone even thinks they catch a glimpse of someone that might be a distant relative of a friend of the teacher of someone who looks like someone that might associate with us he'll come after us. He'll do to us what we tried to do to Merlin. He'll declare war and hunt us down." Xavier said passionately.

"You're probably right. But we knew this was a possibility when we started this." Harry replied.

"True. I'm calling a meeting of the Upper Council this afternoon so we can discuss better security for the castle." Xavier stated.

"Ok. I'll be there whenever." Harry replied.

With that, Xavier turned and bolted out of the room. Harry had been worried about this happening ever since they had decided to fight back. The ultimate question was what would happen when Voldemort found out? Well, they were about to find out. Would he come to destroy them or would he just dismiss them as a bad joke until forced otherwise?

Harry was the first person to wake up almost every morning. He enjoyed the time by himself before the rigors of the day began to set in. Xavier was holding daily meetings with the Upper Council. He was doing a good job of making sure everyone was on the same page. Harry hadn't spent a lot of time around Xavier prior to their time in the New Order. However, since they had started working together more often, Harry came to realize how good a wizard Xavier actually was. Harry remembered hearing how Xavier was the first person to score a perfect score on the Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T, scoring higher than Albus Dumbledore's 99%. Harry remembered him being a surprisingly balanced Head Boy, deducting points from Ravenclaw students numerous times. If Harry hadn't of joined the Auror Office, Xavier surely would have been made the Head of it a long time before that.

While numerous people had told him that they would rather he be in charge of the New Order, Harry disagreed. He believed that he was best equipped to do what he already was doing: being a soldier. Sure, he was someone who could give some order. But, he preferred to be out there, being proactive. Albus and Xavier had been busy attempting to run what little was left of the school and so until school was out, Xavier had been confined to the school. He refused to abandon the small population of students he had left until they were gone.

While Harry had been sitting there, thinking to himself, he hadn't noticed Ginny starting down the stairs. She looked at him with a glare that would burn a hole in brick.

"I hate it when you are not there when I get up." she said scathingly.

"Well maybe if you didn't sleep so long, I would be." Harry said with a smile.

"Oh come on, Harry, what do you even do down here?" Ginny said.

"Read." Harry said simply, pointing to his newspaper.

"You know that's all shit right?" Ginny said.

"Of course. Yesterday, they said I tortured a horse in Nice. Then, they went on to say how angry the Polish government was. They couldn't even bother to get to make sure they were in the right countries." Harry said with a smile.

"Very funny." Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"If only I were joking." Harry said simply.

"Are you serious?" Ginny said seriously.

"Is Voldemort a tall angry bald man?" Harry said, a small smirk on his face.

"That's really terrible. I bet the guy who wrote that is dead." Ginny said.

"I don't know." Harry said. "Minister Roper appears to be a pretty calm guy."

"Harry, you have to be the most ridiculous person I have ever met. I guess that's why I love you." Ginny replied.

"I love you too, Ginny. Come have a seat." he said, indicating the empty space next to him.

"Don't mind if I do."

Just as Ginny sat down, the floor above them began to move and within a few minutes, everyone that slept in Gryffindor Tower was in the Common Room. The noise was unique, to say the least. You had George, somehow continuing his business work, even though he had been branded an enemy of the state. Ron and Hermione bickered over something in the corner, a favorite past time of theirs. Arthur and Molly sat, pouring over some ads in the same paper that Harry was reading.

Over the past couple of days, there was really nothing to do. Xavier wouldn't have his meeting with the Upper Council until after classes were over for the day. Most people, even though they were technically in the military, still didn't want to be out too late. In fact, it was something that Xavier was stressing. Harry thought it was a little silly but he understood the fear.

Harry looked around. This was his family. Someday, he hoped to marry Ginny and Ron and the rest of the Weasley's had been his adoptive family for years. Hermione was the only person who had never really given up on him at some point and her loyalty to him had been the most consistent thing in his life since he came to Hogwarts. For almost half the time he had known them, they had spent time hiding or hiding someone else. The other people in this room were his main motivation to get Lord Voldemort out of power as soon as possible. He needed for them to be safe and as long as Lord Voldemort was in power, they wouldn't be.

Harry spent most of the day doing what he had spent the previous two days doing: talking to Dumbledore and researching.

Dumbledore had been remarkably hard to find in recent days. However, Harry made sure to find him at least once a day. Technically, Xavier was still the Headmaster here. But, Dumbledore was doing a lot of the day to day operation of the school, while Xavier worked on the New Order. Today, Harry found Albus out by the lake.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Harry said as he approached him.

"Harry, I implore that you call me by my given name. While I may not always particularly enjoy it, it is much more accurate than Professor. I haven't been a Professor in years." Albus said with a small smile.

"Sorry, it's a hard habit to break." Harry said.

"So, have you finally mustered up the courage to ask me whatever you were going to?" Albus said, a knowing look.

"How did you know?" Harry said with surprise.

"Harry, I am no longer dead. It has been obvious that you wish to ask me something, hence your attempts to seek me out over the past few days." Albus replied.

"I guess. Professor, are you really going to leave?" Harry asked.

"I do believe that I am." Albus replied. "If you include the years that I was dead, and even if you do not, I am quite old. I have spent many years fighting a battle. When I died, my desire to fight the battle did as well. I must say that I believed that you would somehow destroy Lord Voldemort and that it would be the end of that. However, it appears that I was wrong. Unfortunately, my desire to continue to fight him left with my death."

"I understand, Professor. Unfortunately, I don't think that everyone else will. Those who have seen you will feel abandoned. I'm afraid that if you leave, morale will fall and our chance to beat Lord Voldemort will disappear." Harry replied sadly.

"Harry, I intend to leave. But, I would never abandon you. In fact, I will be keeping close tabs on what is happening here. Before I leave, I will ask you to research something for me. Please do it. I believe that it will be of the utmost importance to your cause. Then, when I feel that the timing is right, I will call you to me. I ask that you drop everything and come to me. There, I will teach you what is left of what you must learn." Dumbledore said seriously.

"Professor, why couldn't you just teach me here?" Harry asked.

"Some things are better learned on your own. In two weeks, the school year will be over and I will leave and then it will be up to you to learn what I ask you to. Take it as the last request of an incredibly old man."

Harry stood in silence for a few moments. Albus Dumbledore had always been his greatest mentor. While Harry had learned about some things that he wished Dumbledore would have just told him, he understood what Dumbledore was. Dumbledore was a scared old man. At this point in his life, he could pass away at any point. He always liked that Dumbledore trusted him enough to learn on his own and not be force fed everything.

"Professor, I will do whatever you ask me." Harry said simply.

"Thank you, Harry. I know that you may not want to hear this but I must say it anyway. Harry, you know that the way you are going to fight this war is the only way to do it. Never before has there ever been a full scale war between wizards. However, this means that you are going to have to face the fact that you are going to lose someone. Everyone is. If you are to win, no one is going to exit this war unscathed. Not even Severus Snape, whose worst fear I believe, would have to face your death."

"How is that his worst fear, Professor?"

"Severus Snape sided with us in order to honor the memory of your mother, whom he loved immensely. I'm sure you know this." Albus said.

"Yes." Harry said simply, remembering back to that fateful evening.

"I believe that to Severus, his greatest regret is that he was not able to save your mother. So, as a way to repay her, he has done everything he can to protect you as a way to repay her. If you were to perish in this war, I believe that Severus would believe that he had failed your mother." Albus said simply.

"I can see that." Harry said. "Do you know what my worst fear is, Albus?"

Albus turned and looked at Harry. While Harry was not nearly as tall as Albus, he definitely was every bit the man that Albus had imagined he could be someday.

"No, Harry, I do not." Albus said sadly.

"My worst fear is that when the time comes, I won't be able to do it. I've never wanted to. I've never wanted to become that person. I never wanted to sink to his level. I've always thought that it would be a hollow victory if I did that." Harry said.

"Harry, years ago, I may have agreed with you. However, in my current state, I must say that I disagree. It is your reluctance to do it and your wish that there be another way that would put you on another level. Sometimes, there is just no other way." Albus said.

"Do you really think that I can do it? That I can kill him?" Harry said.

"Would you rather kill him or let him kill those you love?" Albus asked shortly.

"I would rather kill him." Harry said.

"Then you have your answer." Albus said.

With that, a loud bell rang over the grounds, signaling the end of classes for the day.

"I have to go, Professor." Harry said.

"I look forward to our next conversation." Albus said simply as Harry walked away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Upper Council met in the same boardroom that they had held the first meeting. The Upper Council consisted simply of the Heads of States, Severus Snape and Hermione Granger, Grand Warlock Xavier Mitchell, his three Chief Warlocks, and the six Warlocks. They were called The Twelve around the castle, as kind of a nickname. It was true. While everyone's input was important, these twelve were the ones who, until elections occurred, were making a majority of the decisions.

Severus Snape called the meeting to order.

"Alright everyone." he started shortly. "We will start, as usual, with a report from the Warlocks."

At this point in the meeting, one of the Warlocks would get up and give a brief overview of the findings of the previous night. Tonight, it was Bill Weasley.

"Hello everyone. Stag Patrol continued their attempts to get a large group into the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry has continued to increase security almost every day. Numerous individuals say that they believe that it is now just as secure as Gringotts. One possibly remains. There appears to be no limit on the number of groups that can come in at once. However, we would need to get signed passes for each person. Since we only have a few people that work for the Ministry, this should be incredibly challenging. Anything else, Harry?" Bill said.

"Yeah. We believe that it would be possible to simply storm the gates. They have detection security but none of it really seems to stop people from coming in. It just alerts someone of our presence." Harry said.

"Yes, but it would probably alert Lord Voldemort, which is most definitely the last thing we want." Snape replied.

"True." Harry replied shortly.

"OK." Bill said. "Eagle Patrol has made great strides in protecting the schools. The defense towers are fully operational. The plan is for only the ones closest to the castle be manned and also, only at night. Otherwise, they have all been equipped with the ability to project Freezing Charms and Memory Charms. Hopefully, that will deter any attacker enough."

"Great. What about within the castle?" Hermione stated.

"Basically, it's all about location. We have the ability to get rid of the stairs on both the first and second floors with the help of Xavier. That will be able to give us the drop on anyone that would try to enter the Entrance Hall. Also, we can magically reinforce every entrance to the school. The only door or window that is too big for us to completely close in the main door. Basically, this funnels any attackers into one location."

"Very good." Snape said.

"Finally, Wolf Patrol has been attempting to get information on Lord Voldemort and his plans. Unfortunately, one of the squads was not successful in their casting of a Memory Charm and they were reported to the Ministry. In short, Lord Voldemort knows about us now." Bill said.

"We'll get to that. Did they manage to receive any good information?" Hermione said.

"Yes. They learned that Lord Voldemort is doing his best to spread his influence to the mainland. In fact, the German Minister of Magic is pushing to get his troops to us soon. He fears that he may lose his seat to a supporter of Lord Voldemort in their next election. Basically, he'll send them with instructions that if he doesn't win the election, they're to defect here. Plus, he'll only send people that he know would support us. The last thing he wants to do is give Voldemort more troops." Bill said as he made his way back to his seat.

"Great." Hermione replied. "Now before we go any farther, Charlie, can you explain to us what happened?"

"Yeah." Charlie said as he stood up. "It was really pretty simple. We broke into Malfoy Manor, hoping to find Narcissa. Luckily, we did. As we suspected, she had a lot of information on Lord Voldemort. We wrote down what we found and then performed the Memory Charm on her."

"Who performed it?" Xavier said, speaking for the first time.

"Marietta did." Charlie said shortly.

"Ok. Inform her that she is suspended until she can prove that she can cast a sufficient Memory Charm." Xavier said boldly.

"Suspended?" Harry said. "Xavier, we need everyone we can get out there. I can understand if you don't want her performing Memory Charms but to completely suspend her is just not a smart decision."

Snape stood up from his seat.

"I would have to agree with Potter. We need numbers." he said shortly.

Xavier appeared to think about it for a few seconds.

"Fine. She's on probation. She performs no special charms of any kind until she proves to me that she can do them properly. Until then, she is to defend only." Xavier said sharply.

Charlie looked relieved.

"Thank you, Xavier."

Snape, who had remained at the podium, spoke up again.

"Now, what shall we do about the fact that Lord Voldemort knows about our continued existence?"

It was with this that Harry stood and made his way to the front of the room.

"I realize that this is a little sooner that we would have liked this to happen. More than likely within the next week or so, Voldemort will declare war on us. This was going to happen. Granted, we all would have loved it if we could have had more time. Unfortunately, it appears that we've run out of time."

Xavier stood.

"Harry, I agree. I think that this was going to happen sooner or later." he said shortly before he turned to Hermione. "Hermione, how soon can we expect the foreign armies to get here?"

Hermione looked through her notes and apparently found what she was looking for.

"The French should be here by the weekend. The Germans, assuming Lord Voldemort doesn't get to them first, will be here on Monday and we should have the East Europeans by next weekend." she said shortly.

"How many people should we have then?" Xavier replied.

"Initial estimates for each country say that we should have somewhere nearly one hundred and fifty people." Hermione stated.

"That's many more than we had the last time." Xavier said.

"That's true." Snape said. "However, last time, Lord Voldemort didn't have a completely mobilized military waiting for him. Technically, what you made law is still law. If he calls the general public to fight, they'll have to."

"And that could make things sticky." Harry said. "I really don't want to fight people that would side with us in a normal situation."

Everyone sat in silence for a few minutes. They all realized that they could possibly get into a war with people that had long been their friends.

"I think we should take a break until we know more." Hermione said.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door. It was widely known where the Upper Council held their meetings, but members were also encouraged not to interrupt them. So, it was with great surprise that a small girl walked in.

Harry saw Xavier move swiftly towards the door.

"What do you need, Colleen?" Xavier said, probably harsher than he meant to.

"The Minister is in your office, Headmaster." she said softly.

Everyone in the room immediately tensed up. He was here.

"How did he get there?" Xavier asked.

"He walked in and asked to see you. Then, he walked over to the gargoyle in front of your office and said something. The gargoyle jumped away and he walked up the stairs." she said in fear.

"Thank you, Colleen. Would you be so kind as to go get Professor Rhine and Professor Longbottom for me?" Xavier asked with fake sincerity.

"Of course, Headmaster." she said as she ran out of the room.

Harry could see the stress in Xavier's eyes. No one in this room had children that attended the school and while everyone was concerned for their wellbeing, Xavier believed that the safety of his students was his first responsibility. Xavier approached the front of the room quickly.

"This meeting is over. Harry, come with me to my office. Everyone else, if you would please go to the dungeons and stay with the students. If we aren't back in two hours, back out to Hogsmeade and get everyone out." he said with noticeable fear in his eyes.

With that, the room exploded. The only two people who didn't run out of the room were Xavier and Harry. Everyone else bolted from the room and made their way to the dungeons. Harry looked at Xavier.

"Is your wand ready?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Xavier replied.

They left the boardroom and made the short trip to the gargoyle next door. As Xavier approached it, the gargoyle spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster. He knew the password. I didn't have a choice." it said sadly.

"I don't blame you." Xavier said as the gargoyle jumped out of the way.

The two wizards made the short trip up the stairs and sure enough, Marcus Roper stood in front of the desk.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen." Roper said shortly.

It was obvious to Harry who it actually was. It always had been. It was all in the eyes. Even though they had long returned to their natural brown color, they might as well have been red.

"Cut it." Harry said angrily. "What do you want?"

With this, Lord Voldemort dropped the Minister of Magic persona and returned to his normal self.

"Watch your mouth, Potter. I'll have the Army on you in an instant." Voldemort said shortly.

"I'm sure you will, Tom. We haven't done anything to you." Harry said smartly.

"Of course you have, Potter. You escaped from prison after killing three men. Then, you started a group that killed a prominent Ministry member and tortured his wife for information." Voldemort replied with anger. "And if you call me by my Muggle name again, I'll kill you right here."

"What's keeping you for doing that now?" Xavier asked.

"Strategy. The last time I was in charge, everyone revolted. This time, I want control. The general public still believes that you killed those people. So, I'm going to use that against you. I'm going to convince everyone that this war will rid the world of the most dangerous wizard out there. Harry Potter. One time savior, now a murderer. And when I win, everyone will love me. Then, I can kill every Mudblood in the country and hopefully the world."

Xavier and Harry looked at each other in surprise. He was going through with it. He really was going to try to kill every Muggle and Muggle-born in the world.

"It won't work." Harry said defiantly.

"And why not, little Harry?" Voldemort mocked.

"First off, you can't beat us. You've never been able to beat us. Secondly, people won't let you kill innocent civilians. Finally, do you think once you start killing Muggles that they won't notice?" Harry replied sharply.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Lord Voldemort started. "Do you think I care about Muggles noticing when I kill them? Of course they'll notice but they won't be able to stop me, so it makes little difference. Just like you, Harry, you will not be able to stop me. This time, I am unbeatable."

With this, Lord Voldemort made his way to the door. However, he quickly turned before making his exit.

"Make sure to check the paper tomorrow morning. Have a good evening, gentlemen."

And with that, Tom Riddle was gone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sure enough, the next morning, another damning article appeared in the Daily Prophet.

**_New Order Attacks Again  
_**_by: Frank Humphrehey_

_Last night, the body of Antonin Dolohov was found in the middle of Downing Street, London. Dolohov was formerly a member of He Who Must Not Be Named's Death Eaters and was subsequently sent to prison for his actions. His overall prison sentence was over seven hundred years._

_However, here at the Daily Prophet, we have information that Harry Potter, former Head of the Auror Office and Wizengamot, knew that Dolohov was under the Imperius Curse, under the control of Lord Voldemort. It is known that Harry Potter was so determined to convict former Death Eaters that he ignored evidence that Dolohov was under control of someone else. _

_The Auror Office, currently led by Mercer Chaplin, believes that Xavier Mitchell is responsible for the attack. The Headmaster of Hogwarts, who has taken over the school since his escape from Azkaban Prison following his arrest for the murder of three men, held a grudge against Dolohov for his actions with Lord Voldemort. It is widely believed that Dolohov was good friends with Richmond Mitchell, brother of Xavier. Rich was known as The Last Death Eater for his crimes against Muggles and Muggle-born wizards. _

_Minister Roper issued a statement last night._

_"I have had enough of the New Order. They seem to believe that because they are led by such famous and powerful witches and wizards that they are above the law. In this case, these individuals are wrong. I have consulted with my advisors and I believe the time has come to stop the New Order. As a result, The Ministry of Magic declares war on Harry Potter and the New Order. Also, we shall enact the Civilian Military Act, created by Hermione Granger. As you all know, this allows the Ministry to use normal wizarding civilians to combat this crisis. I promise the Wizarding World that soon, you won't have to fear Harry Potter anymore."_

Harry and Xavier read it in fear. Each one realized the day was at hand. Xavier turned to Harry.

"What do we do now?" Xavier asked.

"We don't have any choice. We must go to war."


	15. Lullabye

The news hit hard. Almost everyone in the New Order worried about their safety now that Lord Voldemort was after them. But, the news that they were now at war was also met with a new report from George Weasley: they had a way into the Ministry.

With this, the entire population of the New Order met in the Great Hall to discuss their plans.

"Hello everyone." Xavier started. "We have new information on the Ministry. George, do you want to come to the front and tell everyone this info?"

"Sure, Xavier." George said as he rose from his seat.

George had never really been seen as a military leader, Harry thought. According to everyone else, George was still the goofy owner of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. However, Harry had realized that George really was a brilliant wizard. While he wasn't always incredibly proficient in true defense magic, he utilized different spells to fight. This made him an incredibly challenging wizard to duel.

"Hi guys. So, here's the deal. Lord Voldemort has done a good job tightening up security without making a lot of people angry at him. However, one thing he hasn't changed is the Floo Network. Now, each of the portals there have a guard, but we have an idea. It will take some time to do. Here's the plan. We've arranged everyone in the order in which they would enter. It's based on the chances that you would be caught as a member of the New Order." George said as a list of members appeared out of nowhere.

"Every hour, a small group of people would enter the Ministry. Then, you would wander the halls for the day. Each time someone saw you, you need to appear like you're going somewhere. Each of you needs to come up with a valid excuse for why you would be there, if you don't work there. Say you're there for court or to talk to an Auror. Tell someone you have information on us or something. Just make sure that you stay there all day."

"Why?" Michael Corner asked snidely.

"Mikey," George mocked. "There's a whole slew of us that can't be seen inside the Ministry. So, at exactly five minutes to closing time, all of you will go to the Auror Office. There, you will do your best to destroy everything there. The plan is that this will draw at least the majority of the guards away from the Atrium. However, this may also draw Lord Voldemort or Merlin to you. If it does, you guys need to bail out."

"What are we looking for?" Filus Flitwick, former Hogwarts professor, asked.

"Our goal is for the last group of us to split up. Half of us will make our way to the Minister's office. The other half will head to the Department of Mysteries. Our plan is destroy it. In all actuality, it doesn't do much for us. So, when we get the Ministry back, it won't be too much of a loss for us. Plus, it will strike a blow to the Ministry." George finished.

"When are we going to do this?" Seamus Finnigan asked.

"Two days. We think that if we do it on a Friday, the chances of us getting caught are less." George replied.

Harry observed the Hall. The first time they had met here, the room had been full of fear and mistrust. Now, everyone seemed generally excited about the prospect of finally having everything to do. Harry also noticed Xavier as he stood up to close the meeting. While he was definitely not as well known as Harry, he was definitely a good leader.

"Alright everyone." Xavier said. "Go and make sure that everything is in order. I'm not going to lie to you. This mission is going to be dangerous. Before you leave Friday morning, make sure you say goodbye to your families. This is war, NOA. There will be casualties. It's unfortunate and we definitely hope to avoid as many as possible. So, this meeting is now adjourned and have a good couple days."

Harry looked over at Ron. He had been acting strange over the last couple of days. Being a member of the Upper Council, he had had information on this possible mission for almost a week now. Why was he so nervous looking now?

With the meeting over, everyone stood and made their way back to their living quarters. Harry decided that he was going to catch up with Ron.

"Ron!" Harry yelled, getting his attention.

Ron jumped with a start and turned to look at Harry.

"Yeah, Harry?" Ron said.

"Is there something wrong? You seem distracted." Harry said with concern.

"Just been thinking recently." Ron said, obviously distracted.

"About what?" Harry said as they did their best to avoid the flood of people on the staircase.

"Just things. There are some things that I want to do before I die." Ron said sadly.

Harry looked at Ron. Ron had never been one to talk like this. While not always the beacon of bravery and courage, he had never been on to talk about death or his fear of it.

"Like what, Ron?" Harry asked seriously.

"Just some stuff, Harry. Really, I'm ok. Hopefully, by the end of today, you'll know what I mean." Ron replied with a worried smile on his face.

"You aren't going to run away, are you Ron?" Harry asked.

Ron laughed and for the first time, looked relieved.

"No. I tried that once, remember? I think Hermione would kill me." Ron said seriously.

"True, True." Harry replied.

They walked the rest of the way to the Gryffindor Common Room in silence. Once they were there, the Weasley family and the rest of the group settled down for dinner.

For a couple hours, Harry noticed that things progressed as usual. George and Percy got into an argument about something. Later, everyone found out that George had turned Percy's toothbrush into a snake. Hermione read something in the corner. Ginny and Fleur bickered a little bit. Things seemed perfectly normal. Arthur and Molly sat at the table, each reading a new book they had ordered before their retreat to Hogwarts.

Then, Harry noticed something was different. Ron was gone. Harry hadn't noticed it. How long had he been gone? Harry slowly stood up from his chair in front of the fire and moved just as slowly, so as not to alert anyone. Harry made his way to the stairs and once he was out of sight, he bolted up the stairs. Sure enough, Ron sat on his bed.

"Ron?" Harry said slowly.

"Hey, Harry." he said with a smile. "I was just on my way down."

"Ok? What were you doing up here?" Harry asked with concern.

"Just getting something." Ron replied quickly.

"Ok. Ok." Harry replied.

Ron stood and quickly made his way back to Harry. Once there, they made their way back down the stairs. Now, something was definitely different. Gone was the nervous, detached Ron from earlier. Instead, he had been replaced by a happy, confident-looking one. At the bottom of the stairs, Ron turned and looked at Hermione with a huge smile. She looked up from her book and returned the smile.

Then, Ron and Harry made their way back to the fire and sat down. For nearly half an hour, Ron and Harry sat and talked Quidditch, old memories, and about fifty other things. Suddenly, Ron stood up.

"I'm sorry, Harry. There's something I have to do." Ron said.

With that, he quickly strode across the room to Hermione. He stood in front of her and took the book out of her hands, setting it on the tables next to her. Then, he grabbed her by the waist and stood her up in front of him.

"Hermione, I'm not very good with words. I've never been to good with emotions or saying how I feel." Ron said.

With this, the room went silent and everyone focused their attention on Ron and Hermione.

"I can't remember the first time that I realized that I loved you. But, all I know is that everyday from then has been better. Better because you're there. All I want is to be with you." Ron said, his knees and voice noticeably shaking.

Suddenly, he dropped down on one knee and pulled a small box out of his robes. With a simple motion, he opened it, revealing a small ring with a single crystal in it. The crystal never remained the same color for too long. It started out red and then moments later was blue. During the short time that everyone could see it, it changed into every color of the rainbow and more.

"I love you, Hermione Granger. Will you marry me?" Ron asked simply.

"Of course!" Hermione replied with tears in her eyes.

She pulled him up and embraced him in a huge hug. Everyone in the room exploded with applause and cheering. _About time_, Harry thought. He looked at his two best friends and could think of nothing better than this. He had known since late in their fifth year how much Hermione had loved Ron. And while it took Ron a little longer to figure it out, he had probably loved her just as long.

Harry looked across the room at Ginny. He loved her very much. However, he considered himself a poison. For as long as he could remember, he had been fighting and he didn't see that stopping anytime soon. However, he knew that she couldn't wait forever. Why would she? She was smart and beautiful and an incredibly famous witch.

Harry finally returned his mind to the scene at present as Ron and Hermione came over to him.

"Harry!" Ron yelled.

"Congratulations, you guys. So this is why you've been acting strange all day?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I knew I was going to ask her today. I was really nervous." Ron replied sheepeshly.

"Well, I'm happy for you guys. Hopefully, I'll be invited to the wedding." Harry said sarcastically.

"Actually, that's what we came over here for. Would you be my best man?" Ron asked.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Of course." Ron said. "Who else did you think it would be?"

"Maybe your brother or something."

"Don't be silly, Harry." Hermione said. "I've already asked Ginny to be my Maid of Honor."

"Cool." Harry replied softly.

"I know, right?" Ron said. "Maybe we can return the favor for you someday."

"Yeah. Maybe."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xavier had spent a lot of time with Demelza over the last few weeks, but especially since the announcement that the NOA would be going on their first assault mission. Over time, they had both come to realize how much they had meant to each other. But, now that they were on the eve of the first mission in NOA history, things were beginning to sink in.

"I can't believe that we start tomorrow." Demelza said as she began to change her clothes for bed.

"I know." Xavier replied. "It seems ridiculous that we are already on the offensive. I figured it would take a couple months longer before that happened. But, it's the card we were dealt and it's what we have to play with."

"Do you think everything will work out?" Demelza asked softly.

Xavier pondered the question for a moment before he answered.

"I would like to think so. However, we've only been able to plan for a couple problems. There's always the possibility that there's something we haven't planned for." Xavier replied firmly.

"I know that you guys have worked hard, Xavier. We're going to be as well prepared as we can possibly be." Demelza said, planting a small kiss on his cheek as he laid down in bed.

"Did you get that Owl out to your mother?" Xavier asked as he rolled over to face her.

Xavier beheld the woman before her. While not to be mistaken with a Muggle model, he thought Demelza was incredibly beautiful in her own way. She was smart, strong, and cunning. Also, while relatively short, her athletic body allowed her the right curves without losing the functionality she needed as a Quidditch player. Xavier knew that he was lucky to have someone like Demelza in his life and while everything was still new about their relationship, he knew that he would have to work hard to overcome his instinct to be overprotective over her. While she was not Hermione Granger, she was no slouch of a witch herself and was incredibly independent. She would be incredibly angry at Xavier if she were to ever suspect that Xavier was keeping her out of the front lines to protect her.

"Yeah. I made sure to leave any important information out of it, in case it was intercepted." Demelza replied with her eyes closed.

"Demelza, I love you." Xavier replied as he pulled her in close.

"I love you too, Xavier."

A few minutes passed by as each one of them tried to sleep. Suddenly, Demelza spoke up.

"Do you really think that we can win?" she asked softly, barely awake.

"Yes." Xavier offered simply in return.

"How? Why?" Demelza shot back.

"I don't know how and I don't know why. I just know that as long as there's one breath left in me, I won't quick. The same for Harry and it should be the same for the rest of us. We have something to fight for. It makes us stronger than him." Xavier replied strongly.

"I hope you're right. Because you know what will happen if you aren't." Demelza said.

"What?" Xavier replied.

"He'll kill you, just like he's done to everyone else. I don't think I could handle that. I don't think I could handle losing you." Demelza said, rolling over to look Xavier in the eye.

"Demelza, Harry told me something about the night Voldemort was killed. He said that the reason that he defeated Lord Voldemort was because he wasn't afraid of death. He said that if you walk into battle afraid of death, you most certainly will. But, if you march into battle ready to die, you will live to fight another day." Xavier said knowingly.

"What does that mean?" Demelza asked quietly.

"If you are too worried about defending yourself from death, you will miss something that will lead to your death. But, if you go forward and fight without fear, you will be strong enough to survive." Xavier explained.

"Do you believe this?" Demelza asked.

"I do. Harry survived because of this and I think that it is the key to our survival." Xavier replied.

"Ok. I trust you, Xavier. Now, we need to get to bed." Demelza said.

Sure enough, within moments, both of them were fast asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days after the meeting, the plan was in place. Starting about twenty minutes after opening time at the Ministry, NOA members had slowly began funneling into the Ministry. They were told not to speak to anyone unless it was a complete emergency. Also, they were given an extra bag of Floo Powder, in case they had to make a quick escape.

Throughout the day, things had been pretty quiet for Xavier. Only one person had bailed out because they had been afraid of getting caught and they had waited only thirty minutes and then headed back.

Status reports were sent via Patronus from some of the Upper Council but other than that, the small group that would be waiting until the end would be going in blind. This was the worst part of this mission. There was a chance that they could get there and everyone be waiting for them. However, it was a risk they were going to have to take.

At ten minutes til five, those of the NOA that had been branded a public enemy waited in the Gryffindor Common Room. Before they entered, Xavier and Harry spoke.

"Alright everyone. We don't move until we get the OK. Once we get it, we move just as we discussed." Harry said.

"My group will go in the direction of the Minister's Office. Harry's group will head toward the Department of Mysteries. If you can't get there, you have permission to destroy anything that isn't the Magical Law Enforcement Office. I couldn't stand it if _both_ of my old offices were destroyed in this attack." Xavier said with a smirk.

A few nervous chuckles were heard from around the room but they were quickly suppressed. Everyone was too nervous for joking.

"You have fifteen minutes max. I don't care what you destroy or what you find. If you aren't on your way out in twelve minutes, you're in trouble. We heard from the one person that was sent back that neither Lord Voldemort or Merlin are in today. So, we figure by the time they get called and get there, we can be out. But, only if you stick to the fifteen minute time limit." Xavier said sharply.

"Xavier, we've done all the planning we can. Now, we just have to wait. And if you tell me we have fifteen minutes again, I'll turn your toothbrush into something nastier than a snake." George said.

For the next two or three minutes, no one spoke. Everyone waited by the fire with anticipation, hoping that everything was ok.

Suddenly, a silver spectral Owl burst through the window. It circled the room and came down on the large table in the center of the room. Then, it spoke with the smooth voice of Dean Thomas.

"You aren't going to be able to get to the Department of Mysteries. All go for attacks on Minister's Office and anything else you can get your hands on."

Xavier turned to the crowd.

"OK. If you aren't part of the group going to the Minister's Office, just find something near the main level and destroy it. We would like the whole main level to be destroyed, if at all possible." he said shortly.

"Good luck everyone." Harry added.

Then, each person got in and quickly yelled "The Atrium!" With the numbers in the Common Room diminishing, Xavier looked at Harry.

"Good luck." Xavier said.

"Same to you." Harry replied.

With that, Harry stepped into the fireplace and was gone. Xavier immediately took his place in the fireplace and within seconds, was at the Ministry.

Whatever Xavier had expected, this wasn't it. The Atrium was completely empty. While Xavier could definitely hear something going on not too far away, the Atrium itself was perfectly quiet. Xavier ran toward the nearest exit and sure enough, just as ordered, his group of Public Enemies awaited him. His group included Neville, Elphias, Percy, Dennis, George, Charlie, Lee, Cho, and Luna. They looked nervous.

"Ok, everyone. Wands out and ready. The Minister's Office is just around the corner."

Xavier walked boldly passed the rest of his group. They pushed open a door that led to the main room on the first floor. Xavier was incredibly pleased to see what was happening in here. Papers and folders were flying across the room and the whole place looked to be a mess. Harry's group had joined the rest of the NOA members that had been there throughout the day. A few Death Eaters had already shone up and were attempting to hold Harry and his group back with little success. Xavier was incredibly confident in their ability to continue to distract Ministry officials.

Xavier led his group just off to the side of the main room and down a short hallway. The last time he had been here was during the reading of the Last Orders of Kingsley Shacklebolt. Nothing appeared to have changed. The table that was used for that particular ceremony sat quite unceremoniously off to the side of the room. Xavier walked up to the door of Voldemort's office and turned the handle.

Of course, the door didn't budge. Xavier had anticipated that. He looked at the door. The door had been replaced since the last time he was here. Now, a large black door stood there. It appeared that there was nothing special about it, but when you looked closer you could tell that around the outside of the door, a thin snake was depicted. You needed to be a Parseltongue to open this door.

"Great." Xavier said softly.

"What?" Percy asked.

"You need to be a Parseltongue to open the door. We didn't even think about that." Xavier said with disgust.

"Who says you need to be a Parseltongue to open it?" Cho said softly.

"Maybe you need a Dark Mark." Lee added.

"Of course!" Xavier replied.

He ran back out to the main room where Draco Malfoy was busy setting desks on fire.

"Draco! Come here!" Xavier yelled, obviously in a hurry.

Draco came over to Xavier in a short sprint.

"What?" Draco asked.

"Follow me." Xavier said simply as they rushed back to the door.

Draco took a quick look at it and immediately caught their line of thinking. He swiftly pulled the sleeve of his robe up to show the thick, black tattoo. He lifted his arm and presented it to the door. Suddenly, the door just disappeared as if it were made of smoke. Xavier and the rest of the group bolted inside. It appeared to be a simple office. There was almost nothing in it. But, what they were able to find was incredibly promising. A list of names on his desk appeared to be a list of former Death Eaters and allies that had joined up with him. Another was a list of addresses, presumably some of them NOA members.

Suddenly, they heard a scream ring out from the main room. Everyone in the Minister's Office bolted back for the large room. Sure enough, standing there in the middle of the mostly cleared out room and backed up by quite a few people, were Lord Voldemort and Merlin. Xavier's group ran over to join Harry's group in the center of the room.

Xavier analyzed the situation. The numbers appeared to be pretty even, although they did have Lord Voldemort and Merlin to help them out. However, the worst thing was the fact that they ran the building. The only way out now would be to run out the front door or the fireplaces in the Atrium. Neither option looked particularly hopeful.

"Harry, you think that you can come into my Ministry?" Lord Voldemort spat.

"It appears so." Harry replied smartly.

"And Xavier, we expected better from you." Merlin mocked.

It was then that Xavier noticed his brother standing at the back of the pack. No longer did he appear to be the favorite pet of Lord Voldemort and Merlin.

"Hello Rich. What are you doing back there? I thought they promised you a chance to rule next to them. Now, it just looks like you're here to get them tea." Xavier shot back.

Nearly everyone behind Xavier had to suppress a small laugh. Not many NOA members had heard Xavier be so sarcastic.

"Of course he will rule!" Merlin shouted. "When you stand behind Lord Voldemort and Merlin, you will rule the world."

"Yeah, if only they knew that you weren't the real Merlin," Michael Corner said from the back of the group.

Xavier looked at Harry nervously. It had been Xavier's idea to tell everyone that Merlin was a fake. They didn't want to stack the odds up against everyone too quickly. However, Xavier realized something. The odds were stacked against them. They shouldn't have tried to hide things from everyone. Now, they could be stuck in a situation where trust became an issue.

"You say that I am not real? How dare you?" Merlin yelled with fury. "Today, you worship the founders of Hogwarts. Did you ever wonder where they learned everything? From me! Only one wizard that I've met has been able to stand up to me and I have allied with him now."

"What about when I punched you in the face last year?" Xavier asked.

Again, members of the NOA fought to hold back snickers as Xavier verbally abused the aging wizard.

"I will admit, Mitchell, that I underestimated you. I will not let that happen again!" Merlin challenged.

"Calm yourself, Merlin. You will get your opportunity." Voldemort said softly. "I am curious, Potter, how do you plan on escaping?"

"We have our ways." Harry said simply.

Suddenly, Xavier got an idea. Without trying too hard, Xavier forced himself in Harry's mind.

_"Can you hear me?" Xavier thought to Harry._

_"Of course." Harry replied._

"Of course you do, Potter. But you can't expect me to allow that to happen?" Voldemort replied.

"Of course not, Tom. However, that's never prevented me from doing it before." Harry replied.

_"I want you to try and keep this connection going." Xavier said._

_"Of course. What are you going to do?" Harry replied._

"That is true. I will also admit that I have underestimated you in the past. While not quite on par with Merlin or myself, you would certainly be a great wizard had you been born in another era." Voldemort admitted.

"That's very flattering." Harry replied snidely.

_"I'm going to try to extend this connection to as many of us as possible." Xavier stated._

_"Have you ever tried that before?" Harry asked with concern._

_"No." was Xavier's simple reply._

Harry managed to keep Voldemort and Merlin distracted while Xavier worked on connecting with the NOA. Soon enough, you could feel Ron, Hermione, and a few others connected. Within minutes, all the members of NOA could privately talk to each other.

_"Listen up everyone." Xavier started shortly. "When I give the signal, Harry and I are going to launch those desks at them. When that signal is given, run. Don't look back. I want Harry, Ron, and Filus to stick close to me. We'll be the last ones through in case we need to stop someone."_

Around Xavier, everyone seemed to come to that understanding. Xavier was glad that the message had been passed cleanly. Harry looked at Xavier, as he broke off the connection with everyone other than Harry.

"Alright, while I cannot tell you how much fun this has been, we really need to be going." Harry said sarcastically.

Lord Voldemort stepped forward.

"Unfortunately, I cannot allow that." he said menacingly.

_"NOW!"_

Harry and Xavier each pointed their wands at a desk and silently ordered it to fly in the general direction of Lord Voldemort. With that, the rest of the NOA turned and ran. While they were only a short way away from either the front entrance or the Floo stations, it seemed much farther when being chased.

"Run to the front! Get outside and Apparate!" Xavier ordered loudly. "My unit stay here until everyone leaves! I'll dismiss you as need be. Team Leaders, once you get back, make sure everyone is there. Only team leaders are authorized to reenter to make sure that everyone is safe!"

Even though he was giving orders on the run, they appeared to be well followed. Almost everyone in front of Xavier immediately turned and bolted for the door. About half of the group got outside before Voldemort entered the room and magically sealed the doors.

"Alright! Use your Floo and get out of here!" Xavier screamed. With that, Xavier and his small group turned and confronted Lord Voldemort's men.

The numbers were incredibly uneven. Xavier and Harry had chosen to leave just four men behind, while the Death Eaters numbered in the twenties. Suddenly, Xavier felt another person break into his formation. He turned to his right and saw Demelza jump into his group.

"Demelza, I thought I said-" Xavier started.

"I know what you said. You can lecture me when you get back." Demelza says not looking at him.

"OK. Everyone be careful." Xavier stated needlessly.

Suddenly, Yaxley, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Thorfinn Rowle, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Alecto Carrow jumped forward. Obviously, Lord Voldemort was going to play his numbers. However, Xavier noted that their side of considerable better duelists than his. Xavier, Harry, and Filus Flitwick were all expert duelists. Ron and Demelza had been trained by Harry and Xavier, respectively, and could hold their own against almost anyone.

Xavier was the first to launch an attack and from there, things spiraled out of control. Luckily, this had given the NOA the distraction they needed. Within a few minutes, the only people left in the Atrium were Lord Voldemort, Merlin, and the duelists. Harry was facing off against Yaxley. Demelza against Goyle. Ron was holding his own against Blaise Zabini and Filus fought against Alecto Carrow.

However, it was Xavier who was the shining star of the battle. He not only fought and defended himself against Thorfinn Rowle and Rodolphus Lestrange, but consistently beat them back. Neither of them could seem to break into Xavier's defense and they were having a difficult enough time beating back his attack. Xavier showed no signs of backing down as he constantly sent their attacks back to their sender.

Suddenly, Xavier broke loose and got a completely open shot at Lestrange.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

The small green blast fired across the Atrium at Lestrange, hitting him square in the forehead. Without hesitation, his body dropped into a lifeless mass on the floor. Rowle looked at his falled comrade and decided that fighting was no longer in his best interest. He turned and had started to run away, when Xavier fired again.

_"Stupefy!"_

This shot hit him square in the back and shot the large Death Eater flying into, and through, the wall in front of him.

"Everyone! Out now!" Xavier yelled.

Everyone in Xavier's group fired one large blast at their opponent and then ran. They all grouped together at the nearest Floo station.

"Alright, Filus in first!" Xavier yelled as he approached the station.

Filus Flitwick stepped and with a small squeaky yell, he was gone.

Then, a large green blast hit just about the station. Xavier turned to see all of Voldemort's men and Voldemort and Merlin themselves approaching.

"Everyone defend! Harry, go!"

Harry pulled his extra Floo Powder out of his robe, stepped into the station, and was gone in a flash. While defending the station, everyone but Demelza and Xavier got in. Xavier turned to her.

"Go. I'll hold them back." Xavier said swiftly.

"No! You get out of here! You're more important than I am." Demelza replied as she dodged an attack from Narcissa Malfoy.

"Not to me, you aren't. Now go!" Xavier yelled.

Suddenly, Demelza reached into her robes and grabbed her Powder. Just as Xavier expected her to jump in, she reached out grabbed Xavier's collar. Then, with a large tug, she threw him into the station.

"HOGWARTS!" she yelled as he jumped inside with him.

The last thing Xavier saw were multiple green and red flashes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xavier hit the floor of Gyffindor Common Room hard, Demelza still in his arms. He looked up and noticed Harry standing over him.

"Everyone make it back?" Xavier asked with concern.

Harry nodded back. He managed to crack a small smile. Xavier rolled over Demelza to share in his joy over their first successful mission when he noticed something was wrong. Once he rolled her over, he saw it. Her eyes were open and blank. She reached forward and grabbed Xavier's collar and tugged softly.

"...Demelza?" Xavier said quietly.

She simply looked up at him, her eyes completely devoid of any life.

"Xavier, what's wrong?" Harry asked, a worried look on his face.

Xavier looked up at him, tears in his eyes.

"I don't know. She was fine just as we left. We were arguing over who was going to go first." Xavier admitted. "Suddenly, she reached into her robe and pulled out her Powder. I thought she had given in. Then, she threw me into the Station, threw the Powder in, and followed me as we left for Hogwarts."

"Did you notice anything else?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"Just a bunch of red and green flashes just as we left." Xavier said absently.

Neville stepped forward.

"Do you know about my parents?" Neville asked.

"Sort of. They were members of the original Order, weren't they?" Xavier responded.

"They were also tortured with the Cruciatous Curse by the Lestranges."

"Ah." Xavier replied simply.

"This is kind of what they're like now. They don't know anything. They can't take care of themselves and they might as well not even be alive." Neville said strongly.

"What are you thinking, Neville?" Xavier asked urgently.

"I think that Dem got hit with a few of those red flashes. They have to be the Cruciatous Curse. If she get by too many at the same time, it could have overloaded her with pain." Neville said begrudgingly.

"What are we going to do?" Xavier asked. This couldn't be the end. It couldn't be. Xavier had finally found someone who loved him and she was gone! Gone!

Harry gently knelt down in front of his friend.

"Xavier, I don't think there is anything we can do." he said softly.

"NOOO!" Xavier yelled as he got up off the floor and tried attacking Harry. Ron, Neville, and George all immediately jumped up and pulled Xavier off of Harry. Neville conjured up some robes and tied Xavier to a chair. He also removed Xavier's wand from his robes. But, this didn't stop things from happening. Once Xavier's wand was pulled out of his robes, random objects in the room began to float and fly in a circular fashion around the room.

Xavier had lost it. He had never known anyone that wasn't his parents who had ever really cared about him before. Now, the one person who had was crazy. Driven insane by the power of a painful curse.

Harry had slowly cleared out the room. Once he did, he made his way back over to Xavier.

SMACK! He had reared back and slapped Xavier across the face. Instantly, Xavier returned to their world and all the floating objects fell to the floor.. Harry once again knelt in front of Xavier.

"Xavier, I know that you loved Demelza. I've known her for a long time as have all of the rest of us. Obviously, we didn't want anything like this to happen. Now you see why we need to end this sooner, rather than later."

Xavier looked down at Demelza. She crawled on the floor, drooling all over herself and make noises that no one could mistake for words.

"We don't have the time to take care of her, Xavier. Not like this. We don't have St. Mungo's at our liberty right now." Harry said.

Xavier looked at Harry in shock.

"What are you asking me to do, Harry?" Xavier asked fearfully.

Harry breathed deeply.

"I'm asking you to put her out of her misery." Harry said with regret.

Xavier couldn't believe what Harry was asking.

"No. I can't. Harry, I can't. You can't ask me to do that! Of all the people to ask, why would you ask me?" Xavier cried.

"Xavier, I asked you because you loved her. And you can do it in a way that will be respectful to who she was." Harry replied.

Xavier spent a couple minutes in silence. Then, he answered him.

"Cut the ropes and give me my wand." Xavier said tearfully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xavier had carefully managed to get Demelza outside of the castle. She definitely wasn't being cooperative. Xavier hoped that it wasn't because she knew what he was about to do. Over the past couple of weeks, Xavier and Demelza had gone on numerous walks together. They had almost always ended up at the Quidditch field. So, it was only right that their final walk together ended there.

Once in the center of the pitch, Xavier stopped. He knelt down on the ground, sobbing. He cried out to someone, anyone that would save him from this. But, he realized that his cries fell on deaf ears. No one was there to save her, or him. Demelza had knelt down next to Xavier, almost as if to see what was wrong with him. Once he noticed her presence, he turned to her.

"..No, No, NO! NO! NO!" Xavier cried out. "Ah! What did they do to you, Demelza? What happened?"

Demelza just stared blankly at him.

"I tried to save you! I did! Oh, please, no. Come back! Damn it! It's me! It's Xavier!"

Again, Demelza looked on, emotionless

"I don't know what to do! I don't!"

Finally, Xavier gave in. He pulled his wand out slowly from his robes.

"I'm sorry, Demelza. I'm so sorry! I love you so much!"

Then, Xavier slowly stood and brandished his wand.

"Goodbye, Demelza." Xavier said softly.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Demelza was hit quickly with a flash of green light. Her body fell forward into the lush, green grass of the field. Xavier fell to his knees and hugged the corpse of his lover and best friend. With his wand, he dug a small hole and buried Demelza in it.

How long he was out there, he didn't know. But, what he did know was that when he got up to go back, he could see the shadows of people lurking at the edge of the castle. As he approached the castle, he saw Harry, Albus, and Hagrid, standing there, waiting for him.

"It's ok, Xavier." Harry said softly.

"We're here for you." Albus added gentlely.

"Sad, sad day, it is." Hagrid concluded.

Harry stepped forward to meet with Xavier.

"Xavier, if you need any time-" Harry started.

"I'm fine, Potter. I don't need any time." Xavier said with anger.

Harry looked at Albus and then back to Xavier.

"Ok, then. What do you want to do next?" Harry asked his commander.

"I want to kill them all."


	16. Trust, Anger, Shadows, and Retaliation

**A/N: Just so I can clarify a timeline, this story starts seven years after the Battle of Hogwarts. The actual first date on the first story is 01/02/2005. Then, it leaps forward to December of that year. From then on, it takes about a month for the rest of the story to play out, ending with Harry, Hermione, and Xavier in Azkaban. They spend nearly six months there and are broken out near the end of May. Due to some changes made by former Headmaster McGonagall, the schoolyear is longer than before. So classes will end in this chapter three weeks after they escaped. I will be putting the date of each chapter on from now on to let you know how far apart some of these things are.**

06/07/2006

The first loss of their war against Lord Voldemort was taken hard by almost everyone. While Demelza may not have been as well known as Harry or some of the other more famous wizards, she was almost universally respected by those lucky enough to have known her. Obviously, Xavier took the loss particularly hard. It had been nearly three days since her death and he hadn't been seen or heard from. Harry had gone passed the gargoyle guarding his office almost hourly, trying a new password each time with no success.

Harry had taken up headquarters in the old Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He, Ron, and Hermione had spent three days organizing the troops. Harry had decided, with the permission from the Upper Council, to not send any missions out until they heard from Xavier. Firstly, he had also had his own plan in mind and second, things were just a little too hot for them right now.

Harry left the small meeting that was going on in the DADA room and made his daily trip up to the Headmaster's office. Within minutes, he stood face to face with the gargoyle protecting the office.

"Richard." Harry tried in vain.

"Sorry, Harry." the gargoyle shot back before immediately returning to its stone self. Harry was about to leave when suddenly, the gargoyle was once again awakened and jumped out of the way, revealing the staircase up. Guessing this meaning, Harry quickly bounded up the stairs.

Just as he expected, Xavier was seated at his desk, waiting for him.

"Please sit down, Harry." Xavier said shortly.

Harry quickly took the few steps it took to cross the main room and swiftly placed himself in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"First," Xavier started. "I would like to apologize for my behavior over the last few days."

"That's really not necessary, Xavier. We all would have done the same thing." Harry replied softly.

"But, you didn't." Xavier shot back. "Almost everyone around you has been hurt or killed at some point and you never just completely disappeared. You've always stuck through everything."

Just as Harry got ready to respond, the large bell signalling the end of classes for the day rang. However, this wasn't any normal day. It was the last day of classes and the day that Albus Dumbledore planned on leaving England. Their previous conversation was put on hold. This one was far more important.

"When is he leaving?" Xavier asked carefully.

"I have to meet him at the top of the Astronomy Tower in an hour." Harry replied simply.

"Any chances you get him to reconsider?" Xavier asked slowly.

"No." Harry answered bluntly.

The two of them sat in silence for a couple minutes before Xavier stood from his chair and began pacing his room.

"I've got nothing, Harry." Xavier spat out.

"What do you mean?" Harry replied out of curiousity.

"There's no way to make this look good. He's Albus Dumbledore. If NOA members find out he's leaving, they're not going to be happy." Xavier said with disgust.

"What if we said he was going to spy on Voldemort for us?" Harry asked. "That way, he could leave and people wouldn't be angry at him."

"I don't know, Harry. He's Albus Dumbledore. Who wouldn't recognize him?" Xavier asked

"Xavier, he's Albus Dumbledore. Who's to say that he lets them recognize him?" Harry returned in jest.

"True." Xavier replied.

Again, the two great wizards sat in silence. They spent nearly the next hour taking turns sitting and pacing. However, in that time, neither of them could find an acceptable excuse for Albus Dumbledore to stay.

Eventually, the time for Harry to leave was upon him.

"I have to go." Harry stated, speaking for the first time in almost fifty minutes.

"I'm coming with you." Xavier stated boldly.

Harry was startled.

"I'm not sure that's what he wanted. He requested only me." Harry said quietly.

"I've reinforced the Anti-Apparation wards around the castle. I want to talk to him and he'll need my help before he can leave." Xavier replied with strength.

"What makes you think he can't break through them?" Harry asked pointedly.

"Oh, he can." Xavier started. "But, without my help, it will take him a week at least."

"Fine. We're leaving." Harry said with frustration as he turned and swept out of the Headmaster's Office.

Within minutes, the two wizards were at the top of the tallest tower in the whole castle. Once they reached its peak, they noticed the frail, old man that stood before them. Harry hadn't noticed how much different he looked after his resurrection. While his hand may have somehow healed, the rest of his body looked much worse than before his death. He was almost a skeletal form, thin and tall. His face was gaunt and lacked the life that Harry had remembered. However, his eyes were the giveaway. While his body was obviously in poor shape, his eyes remained as sharp as ever. Crystal blue and focused, Dumbledore took everything in.

Finally, Dumbledore noticed Harry and Xavier and beckoned them to come closer.

"Ah, Harry! And Xavier, I see, has come as well. Good. Good." Albus said joyfully.

"Headmaster, isn't there anyway we can convince you to stay?" Xavier asked painfully.

"Unfortunately, _Headmaster, _no. I have decided to leave. This is not the battle that I am to fight." Albus replied, a sorrowful look in his eyes.

"Albus, would it be ok if we told the NOA that you were spying for us?" Harry asked softly.

"Harry, what is it that you worry about?" Albus replied.

"I worry about morale. With certain recent events and such," Harry's eyes shot to Xavier. "We thought that this would destroy morale to find out that the greatest wizard in Britain was leaving."

Albus stood and thought for a moment before he spoke.

"Harry, you mean to tell me that you are leaving as well?" Albus said, a small note of sarcasm leaking into his voice as he looked over his glasses. "For I know no better wizard that you, Harry."

"Thank you, Albus."

"Harry, telling everyone that I am spying would not altogether be a lie. I would not simply lie down and let you fall. I will help in my own way whenever possible." Albus added.

"Thank you again." Harry said.

"Harry, I do believe that I said once 'You will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me. You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.' Is that true?" Albus asked.

Harry thought quickly before responding.

"Incredibly true, Professor." Harry replied.

"Well then, Harry, you should find that the opposite is also true. I shall always be here for the school and if it ever needs my help, I will offer my aid." Albus stated.

"And I am sure the school will appreciate that, Headmaster." Xavier replied.

"Xavier, my boy, I do ask-" Albus started.

"I know what you ask. Unfortunately, it just does not seem right to me for me to call you anything but Headmaster." Xavier replied again.

"Well, then I guess that it will have to do." Albus answered. "Harry, may I speak with you in private?"

"Of course." Harry replied.

Harry left Xavier and was led by Dumbledore to the other side of the tower. Dumbledore turned quickly and spoke just as fast to Harry.

"Do you remember what I asked you that day by the lake?" Albus said.

"You said that you were going looking for something and that when you found it, that I was supposed to come to you, no questions asked." Harry replied.

"That is correct. Harry, I think I am close to locating it. It maybe be that within a month, I call you to me. Will you come?" Albus asked expectantly.

"Of course." Harry replied firmly.

"No matter what?" Albus pressed on.

"No matter what."

"Good!" Albus turned and spoke to both of them. "Now, I must be going. I am sure that I will see both of you again someday. Do not let the war drag you down, gentlemen. You can win. You know that. All you need to do is believe that."

Albus turned and was beginning to Apparate when Xavier spoke up.

"Professor, would you like help lowering the wards?" Xavier asked carefully.

"Oh no, Headmaster. I think that I will be able to handle them just fine." Albus replied with a wink.

And with a quick turn, Albus Dumbledore was gone.

"It's gonna take him a week to get out, huh?" Harry asked snidely.

"Ok, so I may have underestimated him a bit." Xavier replied sheepeshly.

Harry and Xavier stood at the top of the Astronomy Tower for sometime after Dumbledore's departure. Harry thought about the old man and how much of an impact he had on Harry's life. Then, Harry realized why he thought Albus might have left. During almost the entire last war, Dumbledore was there to guide him along. Now, Dumbledore was gone. He would still be there to support, of course. However, this was their show now. Harry and those who followed him were charged with their own fate and Dumbledore knew that.

Finally, Xavier came over to Harry.

"Come on, Harry. Let's go." he said softly.

Harry and Xavier slowly made their way down from the Astronomy Tower and back towards the Headmaster's Office. Suddenly, Ron came running out of nowhere.

"STOP!" Ron yelled.

Harry and Xavier stopped abruptly as Ron ran to catch up with them. They waited as Ron caught his breath before he spoke.

"They're here." Ron said shortly in between huge, gasping breaths.

"Voldemort!" Harry asked.

"No. The others." Ron said, still breathing deeply.

"The European Armies?" Xavier asked anxiously.

All Ron could do was nod his head in response.

"Where?" Xavier asked.

"Great Hall." Ron quipped.

Immediately, Harry, Xavier, and Ron bolted from their places towards the Great Hall. After racing down the stairs and nearly falling into the vanishing stair, they arrived in the Great Hall. At this point, Ron was ready to collapse. Xavier and Harry worked quickly to catch their breaths. They looked at the crowd before them.

While everyone had not answered the call, at least three countries had. Harry saw blue robes from France, red from Bulgaria, and a dulled gold color from Germany. He realized that there had to be nearly two hundred of them. The boost in Harry's morale was incredible. While Lord Voldemort may have more troops, not all of his troops were truly loyal to him. Here, Harry had a large group of what he hope were truly loyal soldiers.

Xavier as the head of the military stepped forward.

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Xavier Mitchell. I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts and also the Grand Warlock for the New Order Army. Standing next to me, as I'm sure you all know, is Harry Potter. He represents my second-in-command and is our best link to the outside world. Now, if each one of you could send your commander forward so that we could talk briefly, that would be much appreciated."

Slowly, two men and a woman made their way forward. The first man, clad in blue, stepped forward.

"Allo, Xavier Mitchell, Je m'appelle Pierre Prideux. I ahm the 'ead of ze French Armies. We are 'onored to join you." the man said through his thick accent.

"Thank you, Pierre. We appreciate your assistance." Xavier replied as he extended his hand.

Next, the other man who wore red robes stepped forward.

"Good evening, Headmaster. My name is Aleksandar Dachev. I am the Assistant Headmaster at the Durmstrang Institute. I am also the Head Auror and, as such, in charge of the Armed Forces of Bulgaria." he said with a second thick accent.

"We appreciate your assistance here, Mr. Dachev." Xavier stated again.

Finally, the lone woman of the group stepped forward.

"My name is Katarine Kreuger. I am the leader of the Armed Forces in Germany." she said simply.

"You don't have any kind of accent?" Xavier asked with interest.

"I was born in America and moved to Germany to be with my family." she replied.

"Well, Ms. Kreuger, we appreciate the time you have taken to help us in our crisis." Xavier added.

Xavier quickly called all three leaders together to speak with them.

"Tomorrow, we shall go over battle plans and such. There is one thing that you will need to know. While Harry and I will take suggestions for you, it is under our authority that any military decisions will be made. So, if you plan on arguing with us or disobeying us, you are free to stay here tonight. However, we ask that you would leave in the morning." Xavier stated.

There was no reaction from the three leaders.

"Good. Also understand that any actions your subordinates take will directly reflect on you. So, order your men carefully, implore to them that they are to do _nothing _without our order. Is that understood?" Xavier added.

All three nodded their heads in compliance.

"Good. Now, your sleeping quarters will be in the dungeons. You are free to rearrange them as needed. If you would like to keep yourselves separated, that is fine. However, I would suggest that eventually you try and combine the forces. We all need to work together to be successful in this and they say the army that sleeps together wins together or something like that."

Xavier's small attempt at humor was lost on the three leaders. Finally, Harry stepped forward to speak. He spoke to the crowd gathered not just the leaders.

"I can't thank you enough for coming to assist us. We really wished that we didn't have to involve so many of you in our crisis. However, it appears that it simply got too big for us. So, we called to you and you have responded splendidly. We hope that we can resolve this situation soon." Harry said simply.

Xavier stepped forward to speak to the crowd as well.

"Now, your first order of business is to sleep. We have a long time ahead of us and you shall be of no use if you aren't properly rest." Xavier said. "Listen to me, I sound like I'm talking to my students." he quipped to Harry. Then, he turned and spoke to the crowd again. "Please follows your commander to your sleeping quarters and have a good night's sleep.

Xavier and Harry waited as the soldiers from all over Europe left the Great Hall. They turned and were about to leave when they noticed Ron was still there.

"Ron, what's up?" Harry asked.

"I have an idea." Ron said shortly.

"What idea, Ron?" Xavier asked.

"Do you remember how during the first war the Death Eaters would keep attacking Diagon Alley? What if we made it look like we were doing that if only to get people out of there that could help us?" Ron thought aloud.

"You're thinking Ollivander." Harry stated.

"And the goblins." Ron added. "If we can get the goblins to join us, there's no way for anyone to get money. People will get ticked at Voldemort and maybe start to lose faith in him."

"You do realize, Ron, that if we fail to get the goblins to join us, people will just be more afraid of us." Xavier replied.

"I know. But, what if we dressed up in Auror robes? We could transfigure all of our robes to look like the red ones Aurors wear while on business. So, while its really us, in the end, it would look like Ministry officials doing it." Ron shot back.

Xavier and Harry stood in silence. Ron had always been a good strategist. Harry credited his skill at wizard chess for that. However, this was _brilliant._ In the end, it was a way for the NOA to get back at Voldemort and still make it look bad for him.

Harry looked at Xavier.

"What do you think?" Xavier asked.

"I think its wonderful." Harry replied.

"Ron, run back down to the dungeon and get the commanders of the foreign armies. Harry, call for a meeting of the Upper Council. We're doing this." Xavier ordered.

* * *

Within minutes, the Upper Council and the foreign leaders were gathered in the boardroom near the Headmaster's Office. Once everyone was settled in, Xavier started the meeting.

"Alright, we'll deal with the introductions and such later. Ron, since this is your idea, you should be the one to outline it." Xavier said, taking his seat.

Ron quickly shuffled to the front of the room, where he began to speak.

"So, the idea is that we stage an attack on Diagon Alley. However, we do it basically as a diversion to assure the cooperation of two parties, Mr. Ollivander and the goblins of Gringotts." Ron stated shortly.

"Vhy should ve attempt this now?" Aleksandar replied.

"Well," Xavier started. "Our last mission was less than successful. Voldemort will expect us to sit back and lick our wounds. He is unlikely to be prepared for such a quick attack."

"Ok. But dis mission seems very poorly planned." Pierre replied.

"We assure you that it will be planned to the best of our ability." Harry replied, standing and stepping up next to Ron. "However, we believe that our quick response is the key to this attack. Each of you will be dressed in a red robe. These are the robes that our Aurors wear. So, while we will be able to hide ourselves, it will also seem like the Minister is attacking them."

"Do we think this will work?" Severus asked, speaking up for the first time.

"I do." Ron said confidently. "The people there won't be paying attention to the faces. All they'll see is the Aurors coming and blowing things up."

"True." Severus replied. "How many are we considering taking?"

This time it was Harry who spoke up.

"Well, there are almost two hundred Aurors in the Ministry still. At least, that's as far as we can tell based off of the information we stole from Voldemort during our raid. So, I figured we send in about fifty of us. That will give the right impression without going over the top."

"I agree." Hermione stating. She had been standing to the side, uncomfortably chewing on her nails and twirling her hair. It had been awhile since Hermione had not been in control. It was a different feeling for her.

Xavier placed himself back in front of the podium at the front of the room and spoke.

"Pierre, Aleksandar, and Katarine, go back to your quarters. In the morning, I would like you to meet with my group in the Great Hall at Nine. You are to select eleven other members of your traveling contingency to come with you." Xavier order.

"But, Mr. Mitchell," Pierre started. "We are ze commanders of our armies. Surely, you do not expect us to fight."

"Maybe I did not make this clear earlier. Everyone here is expected to fight. There are two few of us against too high odds to have people sit out for fear of losing them. I am sure as the leaders that you are that you are wonderful duelists." Xavier replied curtly.

Then, Xavier turned on the rest of the group.

"I will then select twelve other NOA members besides myself and Ron to go. Once we have met, leadership will be turned over to Ron for this mission. Is everyone clear?" Xavier asked.

All the heads around the room nodded.

"Good. If you are not selected to go, you are on security detail for the castle. We cannot afford to lose it. I will appoint a commander here once I decide who will go with us tomorrow. If the castle is attacked, you are to pull us back to defend the castle. Understood?"

Again, the heads nodded.

"Good. This meeting is adjourned. Go get some rest."

* * *

About an hour later, the list of NOA members selected for the mission the next day was posted.

_Ron Weasley  
Xavier Mitchell  
Severus Snape  
Viktor Krum  
Harry Potter  
Draco Malfoy  
Dean Thomas  
Michael Corner  
George Weasley  
Charlie Weasley  
Zachary Rhine  
Lee Jordan  
Katie Bell  
Justin Finch-Fletchey_

_For this mission, and this mission only, the Order of Command goes as follows._

_Mission Commander: Ron Weasley  
Squad Commander: Xavier Mitchell and Severus Snape_

Harry was furious. Xavier had taken away his squad leadership. Not only that, he had given it to Snape. Snape, the man who couldn't be seen outside because everyone thought he was dead! He stewed for about an hour and a half before he finally decided to confront Xavier. Harry got up from his seat in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room and made his way towards Xavier's office.

About five minutes later, he reached the gargoyle guarding the office.

"LET ME IN!" Harry screamed at the gargoyle.

"Ok." it replied as it stepped out of the way.

Harry sprinted up to the top of the stairs to find Xavier once again at his desk.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry asked noticing the paperwork that Xavier was working on.

"Reviewing job resumes for the Arithmancy teaching position. Professor Vector has finally retired and as such, we shall need a new Professor in the fall." Xavier replied calmly.

"Are you serious?" Harry asked angrily.

"Yes, Harry. But, I don't think that's what you wanted to talk about." Xavier commented.

"I see how it is. You think that because you're the Headmaster, you can just make decisions without asking. You think that because you sit where Dumbledore and McGonagall used to sit that you can talk like them. That you can assume everything!" Harry yelled.

Suddenly, Xavier stood.

"Harry, I noticed that whenever you are in control, Ron follows you blindly. So, I put him in control of the mission. This is his idea he knows it best. He should be in charge. You should be happy for Ron. I bet that he's wanted to find a way out of your shadow for a long time. Even in the Auror Office, it was Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Or just Harry. Never just Ron. Now, it's just Ron." Xavier replied.

"That's not what I'm mad about!" Harry bellowed in reply.

Xavier sat down and returned to his paperwork. Without looking up, he spoke.

"Harry, what are you mad about?" Xavier asked calmly.

Finally, Harry calmed down. He sat down in one of the plush chairs in front of the Headmaster's desk and spoke.

"I wasn't made a Squad Commander." Harry said quietly.

"No, you were not." Xavier replied simply.

Harry sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.

"Why not?"

"As I said earlier, when you are in charge, Ron follows. Ron's individual squad as done wonderfully on their own. I think you would know that Ron is an outstanding strategist. However, when we moved in to the Ministry, he waited for yours or my orders before he did anything. You are a leader. I am a leader. Hermione is a leader. Snape, whether he likes to admit it or not, is a leader. Ron isn't, yet. However, I believe that he can be. This will allow him to understand that he can make decisions, not just follow them."

Harry sat in awe. He had never considered before that Harry's ability to make decisions was hindering Ron's ability to. However, it all made sense. Ron had always been his partner, but also a second-in-command. Now, Xavier was giving him the opportunity to make his own decisions.

"Did you know I would be this upset about this?" Harry asked.

"I figured that you would be upset." Xavier replied simply.

"How come everybody else seems to know what I'm doing even though I don't?" Harry asked with frustration.

Xavier looked up from his work and spoke directly to Harry.

"I didn't _know_ that you would be upset. I thought that you might become upset when you discovered that I had taken you out of a command position. But, do you really think you'll be out of control? You know yourself, Harry. The second something bad starts to happen, you're going to go back to doing what you do best: defending innocent people." Xavier stated.

"Professor McGonagall knew what she was doing when she hired you." Harry replied.

"She wanted you for the job first, I do believe." Xavier said, returning to his work.

"She would have regretted it. I would love to teach her someday. But, I could never be the Headmaster." Harry said.

Again, Xavier briefly glanced up.

"Zachary Rhine has stated that he would be willing to accept the Arithmancy position if we could find a DADA replacement before the switch was made. When this is over, would you do it?" Xavier asked sincerely.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Of course. Who best to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts than the greatest Auror of a generation?" Xavier stated.

"I thought he was already the Headmaster here." Harry replied.

"I'm a good duelist, Harry, and I was a good Auror. But I wasn't you. You were the best." Xavier offered back.

Harry finally stood and made his way to the door. However, before he left, he turned back to Xavier.

"I'll think about it. OK?" Harry asked.

"Of course. See you in the morning, Harry."

* * *

At nine o'clock the next morning, fifty different witches and wizards met in the Great Hall. Also, Hermione Granger met them there to see them off and to transform the robes of the small battalion to be as close to the robes of an Auror as possible. Slowly, however, she made her way to Xavier.

"Why wasn't I selected to go on this mission?" Hermione whispered in his ear.

"You're the Head of State." Xavier said softly in return.

"What about all that stuff that you said yesterday about everyone being needed?" Hermione said accusingly.

"We need to have you around, Hermione." Xavier said with a small smile.

"I think that you want to protect me, Xavier." Hermione said.

"I think you're right." Xavier replied simply.

"What?"

"I'm trying to protect you. Myself, Harry, and Ron are all going. If none of come back, we need someone who we know can still keep things intact." Xavier stated.

Hermione looked at Xavier briefly, as if trying to see straight through him.

"Xavier, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it isn't necessary." Hermione replied.

"Well, Ms. Granger, I believe that it is." Xavier said as he walked away.

Xavier hadn't really felt right about anything since Demelza. The conversation he had had with Harry the previous night had been the most normal thing he had done in the past four days. However, he was feeling a little of himself starting to return each day. He knew that Demelza would never want him to hide from himself or from anyone else. He knew that she would want him to be happy, especially with the current state of affairs. The little conversation he had just had with Hermione had been incredibly stimulating for him. It proved to him that he was still human and still completely capable of holding an innocent conversation with someone.

Although that someone was Hermione Granger. Xavier had never told anyone about it, but during their time together in school, Xavier had held a small crush on Hermione. Xavier had decided in his fifth year that he would pick up Arithmancy. As a result, he was in the third year class. He had worked with Hermione multiple times in class and been completely enamored with her. However, she had been too busy paying attention to Ron Weasley to notice him.

The fact that Xavier was able to have that short conversation with her was a sign that things may eventually return to normal. This morning, Xavier was going to do a short briefing and then turn things over to Ron. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't the one giving the orders. Especially after Demelza's death, it was not a responsibility that he wanted.

Xavier stepped forward and addressed the large group.

"Ron Weasley will be our Commander today. Once we leave, we are to take our order from him. I will command one group and Severus Snape will control another. Please divide yourselves as evenly as possible between the two of us now." Xavier said loudly.

Rather quickly, the group split in two. Xavier noticed as Harry sided with himself as did Charlie and Zachary. Most of the other field commanders chose to side with Snape as did most of the foreign soldiers.

"Good. We're even it seems. Here is the plan. We Apparate to the Leaky Cauldron and go through the wall there. Once we're in, Severus' group will go to Ollivander's and secure his cooperation with us. My group will head to Gringotts and get their assistance. Once that is done, you can destroy some property and things like that. However, definitely no attacks on anyone unless they fire on you. Understood?"

All heads nodded.

"If we are discovered and confronted, Patronuses to the other group to warn them and then get yourselves out. Also, if Aurors show up, transfigure your robes back to their normal color. Again, understood?"

Again, all the heads in the room nodded.

"Good." Xavier said as he looked towards Ron. "It's your show."

Ron stepped forward and barked the order.

"Let's go!"


	17. Fracture

06/08/2006

They landed in the main room for the dark, dank, little inn. Severus Snape motioned to his small squad to follow his as they made their way back to the closet. Once Snape was inside, he tapped the appropriate bricks on the wall and led the way in. Once everyone was inside, Ron stepped to the front and looked at Xavier and Severus.

"You have fifteen minutes. Get in, get what we need, and get out." Ron said.

Both the squad commanders nodded their head.

"Go!" Ron yelled as he turned to face the Alley.

With that, the NOA and their allies sprung forward. Within seconds, the narrow street was in chaos. Windows were being blown in, doors shot of their hinges, and books and paper flew in the air. It was utter pandemonium. Snape slowly led the small group he had picked to go with him towards the small shop in the middle of the square.

Once they got to their location, Severus wasted no time. He pulled out his wand and with one strong movement, the door to Ollivander's Wand Shop was blown to millions of tiny pieces. Without hesitation, Snape entered the small shop. He took a second to notice his surroundings. The normally immaculate shop was not in complete disarray. Wands lay in dozens on the floor as boxes fell from the ceiling. In the midst of all this remained one small, frail man.

Snape quickly strode up to him.

"Mr. Ollivander?" Snape asked fiercely.

"Yes? Who are you?" Ollivander replied weakly.

"That is of no concern to you, old man. Things are not as they seem. Lord Voldemort has risen from the dead and against all odds has taken control of the Ministry. Harry Potter requests that you leave your shop and come to Hogwarts where you can be protected and help in returning the Ministry to its rightful place." Snape spat quickly at the diminutive frame before him.

"I thought I recognized that voice. I thought you were dead, Severus?" the man said, almost as if he had not heard Snape speak at all.

"You thought right at one point. However, like Lord Voldemort, I have returned from the grave. Now, will you help us as we attempt to destroy him for the last time?" Snape screamed.

The commotion in the small street outside wasn't getting any better. In fact, Snape was worried that they might have already been discovered. However, he had business to attend to and he had no intention of giving up so swiftly. Once Snape had mentioned Lord Voldemort, Ollivander had slipped into a thoughtful trance. He was now looking off into space, looking into nothing.

"Lord Voldemort, alive?" Ollivander said, again ignoring Snape. "That kind of magic was thought to be dead."

"Well, old man, obviously it is not." Snape said impatiently.

"He is unbeatable." Ollivander said softly.

Suddenly, Snape pulled out his wand and strongly placed it on Ollivander's forehead, making him step back quickly. While he was obviously more aware of his surroundings, he still appeared to be thinking about something else much more than the present situation. His eyes shot down long enough to look at Snape's wand before they returned to the dust and cobwebs on the ceiling.

"Ah, you are most definitely Severus Snape if you control that wand." the old man said, finally interested in the current conversation.

"Yes! I am Severus Snape. Now, I will give you a choice: You can join us or I can kill you right here so Lord Voldemort can't use you. It's your choice." Snape said, baring his teeth.

"But, I am just an old man. What could the Darkest Wizard of All Time want with me?" Ollivander said curiously.

"STUBBORN, FOOLISH, OLD MAN! You are the greatest Wand Maker in the world! With you, Lord Voldemort could continue to fashion wands for his armies forever. Now, will you join us!" Snape screamed out over the noise in the Alley.

Snape turned and looked outside where the large front windows used to be. People continued to sprint passed the window and loud noises continued to ring out from somewhere outside. Severus knew that his time was running short. Lucky for him, Ollivander finally seemed ready to play along. He had stopped staring at nothing was looking directly at Snape.

"Of course, Severus Snape. While I do believe that the power of Lord Voldemort is intensely intriguing, I do not wish to see the Wizarding World plunged into darkness." Ollivander replied, finally giving Snape his answer.

"Good." Snape said as he turned around to one of the men behind him. "YOU! What's your name?"

"Charles." the man said through a thick French accent.

"Charles, I want you to take Mr. Ollivander and three others back to the Leaky Cauldron. From there, Apparate to the Quidditch field behind Hogwarts like we said. Understood?"

Charles nodded his head. He then grabbed three of the men standing next to him and, along with Mr. Ollivander, made their way back to The Leaky Cauldron. Snape then waited a little bit and was about ready to head back into the street when a small, silvery Jack Russell Terrier came sprinting into the small shop. It stopped at the feet of Severus Snape and, rearing up on its hindlegs, spoke in the voice of Ron Weasley.

_"They're here! Flourish and Blotts, now!"_

_

* * *

_Xavier and his small group had followed Snape until he broke to the left and entered Ollivander's. Ron stayed with them until they reached the center of the square. He stayed there to act as a lookout for the two groups.

On the other side of the square stood Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Much had changed since the last war with Voldemort. Gringotts was not one of those things. The goblins who ran it had refused the Ministry's help after the fall of Lord Voldemort in restructuring the building. The building itself remained as crooked as ever. There were many rumors for why the goblins had kept the building's lean. None of them seemed to fit the mold of a goblin and Xavier didn't put much in store with them.

Xavier, with Harry at his side, barged in the front door of Gringotts. Unlike Snape, who had only chosen a small contingency to actually enter Ollivander's, Xavier order his entire battalion to follow him into the bank. Xavier walked up the long lobby area to the tall front desk.

From there, Xavier spoke up.

"My name is Xavier Mitchell. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts and I wish to see the manager of this bank." he said boldly.

The tiny goblin that sat there looked up at Xavier and spoke in a deep voice.

"Then you should go to the Ministry of Magic and seek out the Minister. He has taken over the bank and seen to it that no goblins remain in managerial positions." the goblin said with anger.

Xavier sat and thought about this current predicament.

"Well, then who among you is the highest ranking?" Xavier asked.

The goblin at the front desk stood up and pointed to the small office to their left.

"Thank you." Xavier said with a small bow.

Xavier led his group over to the door. From there, he instructed his group that only he and Harry were to enter. After that was established, Harry and Xavier entered the small office. There was almost nothing in the office. It was obvious to the two wizards that whoever's office this was, they were entirely devoted to their work. The only thing in the office was a small chair and desk set and some counting devices. The small chair was facing away from Harry and Xavier with its tall back preventing them from seeing who sat there.

Xavier stepped forward to speak.

"Excuse me?" Xavier stated.

With that, the small chair spun around and revealed a very familiar goblin.

"Griphook?" Harry shot out.

"Harry Potter. How nice to see you again." the small goblin said, no emotion on his face. Xavier couldn't tell whether the goblin was joking or not, although he had never known a goblin to joke.

"It's nice to see you again, too. Listen, this is Xavier Mitchell, he's a friend of mine and he has a proposition for you." Harry said calmly.

With this, the goblin's ear perked up.

"Griphook, the Ministry has taken away your rights as the sole proprietors of Gringotts. That is because the man who is the Minister is none other than Lord Voldemort. If you go with me, we shall make sure that when we defeat Lord Voldemort, Gringotts is returned to you, just as it was before." Xavier stated.

"Xavier Mitchell. You are the Headmaster at Hogwarts, correct?" Griphook said shrewdly.

"Yes. I am. Why do you ask?" Xavier asked hurriedly.

"How long have you been there?" Griphook asked again.

"Just one year. _Why?"_ Xavier asked again.

"Have you ever seen something other than a human there?" Griphook asked.

"No." Xavier said simply.

"Why not?" Griphook asked, obviously getting closer to the topic he wished to talk about.

"Wizarding Law prevents it." Xavier replied with as much honesty as he could pour into it.

"_Wizarding Law prevents it._ Xavier Mitchell, if you can do something to overturn that law, I shall guarantee you our help." Griphook said greedily.

"How about this? We work on a five year plan where Goblins can take a test to obtain a wand permit from the Ministry of Magic. In return, you will be required to work with our metal workers to show them some of your more basic techniques. Not every Goblin will be able to obtain a permit. They will have to show a certain magical proficiency before they are allowed to carry a wand. But, in return, we would get some of the small techniques that allow you to mold metal like you do. It's a win for both sides." Xavier said, talking like a true politician.

"Can you guarantee this?" Griphook asked, obviously considering the deal.

"If we win, Hermione Granger will become Minister of Magic again. She is a good friend of mine. It will happen." Xavier said confidently.

Suddenly, Griphook jumped up from his seat and ran out into the center of the lobby outside.

"EVERYONE! Leave your stations! In return for our services, we have worked out an arrangement with the NOA. If they win the war against the current government, we shall be able to apply for wand permits!" Griphook yelled, joy overtaking him.

Xavier leaned down and spoke to the small goblin.

"You didn't mention the current government was Lord Voldemort?" Xavier said with a smile.

Griphook looked at him sharply and then flashed a brief smile.

"No need to scare them like that quite yet."

The lobby of Gringotts was impossible to follow. The goblins there were gathering their few belongings and going out front. With this, Xavier began giving orders.

"Everyone! Grab two goblins and head back to Hogwarts!" Xavier yelled over the commotion.

Suddenly, NOA members were grabbing goblins and Apparating. Within moments, the craziness that had been rampant just moments before was gone and only Harry, Xavier, and Griphook remained. Griphook walked out the front door and waved his hands. Quickly, the giant doors closed and with a quick brush of his finger, Griphook locked the door.

"Gringotts hasn't been closed in one hundred years." Griphook said sadly.

"We'll reopen it, Griphook. We promise." Harry said softly.

"Goblins do not rely on Wizards, Harry Potter. If this doesn't work..."Griphook said threateningly.

"If it doesn't work then you can take it out on Lord Voldemort, because we'll all be dead." Xavier said seriously.

Xavier, Harry, and Griphook walked over to Ron, who was standing in the square between Gringotts and Ollivander's.

"See anything, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Ron replied.

"Really?" Xavier asked.

"OK, other than wizards dressed up like Aurors trashing the place, nothing." Ron corrected himself with a smile.

Xavier smiled back, feeling that something had finally gone right when he noticed something. His fingers were numb and the tip of his nose cold. He looked at everyone else and noticed he could see his breath. Suddenly, one look at Ron's face told the story.

_"Dementors."_ he whispered breathlessly.

Xavier turned around to see an army of black, lifeless creatures floating towards them. They had holes where mouths should have been, or maybe once were. Either way, they were in trouble.

"Ron, send your Patronus to Snape. We need him out here." Xavier said sharply.

With that, Ron turned and shot a small Jack Russell Terrier screaming down the square towards Ollivander's. Xavier turned to Harry.

"Are you ready?" he asked nervously.

All Harry did was nod his reply.

_"Expecto Patronum!"_

Their voices rang all over the square as Harry's stag and Xavier's giant eagle launched themselves at the pack of Dementors. For a few moments, it seemed to Xavier that they might be able to pull through. The two Patronus were pushing the crowd of Dementors back. However, as their power weakened, the black wave continued to push forward. They got closer and closer with each passing moment. With each moment, Xavier prayed that someone would come and save them. If not, this would surely be their end.

The wall of black pushed until there was no room in between the two sides. On one side stood Harry and Xavier, wands out, pushing their individual Patronuses as hard as they could. Then, in the middle, were the spectres themselves. They pecked and rammed and bit and did everything they could to fend off the creatures of death but nothing they did seemed to have any effect.

Finally, on the other side, stood a ten foot wall of darkness and despair. The tallest one leaned in towards Xavier and Harry. Xavier could see Demelza, eyes open and unresponsive. Harry could hear his mother's screams, surely for the last time.

All of the sudden, a wall of light blasted from behind them. Coming from everywhere, were a whole host of animals, led by Ron's Terrier and Snape's doe. The light hit the wall of dementors. Within seconds, the combined powers of the Patronuses sent the Dementors screaming in the direction they came from.

Finally, they were gone.

Ron ran up to Xavier and Harry, both of whom nearly collapsed from magical exhaustion.

"Are they gone?" Xavier said weakly.

"They're gone." Ron replied.

Suddenly, an all too familiar voice rang out.

"That's too bad. I was hoping to have them kill you. Now, I'll just have to _my_ Aurors do it."

Then, without warning, Voldemort was there.

"Lord Voldemort!" Harry cried, obviously trying to out his grand nemesis.

"Yes, I am." he said calmly and in an instant, his traditional dress robes were replaced by his usual black robes.

Suddenly, the screams that had been quieted moments before were turned and the streets truly panicked. Panic and chao returned to the streets.

Xavier and Harry immediately straightened up. Within moments, numerous Wizards Apparated away and to the scene. A minute later, the scene was set. On Xavier's side stood Harry, Ron and the rest of the NOA that had been gathered there today.

On the other side however, stood Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Many of the ones that Harry and Xavier had helped put in prison stood before them. But, what was most surprising were some of the new faces that graced them. While as usual there were some of the more traditional members, like Yaxley and the Lestrange brothers, there were a bunch of new faces. Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini were unsurprising new members. Even Dolores Umbridge, who Xavier was sure wasn't really a Death Eater, she just hated "half-breed" creatures. But, the most surprising was Zacharias Smith.

"Zacharias?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, Potter." Zacharias replied simply.

"Why? You were in the DA. Why did you join him?" Harry begged.

"We can't beat him, Harry. And I'm not sticking on the losing side." Zacharias replied coldly.

Finally, Voldemort stepped forward.

"Well, gentlemen, I'm sorry but I have some business to attend to. That means that I'm going to have to break up this little reunion." Voldemort said, barely louder than a whisper.

"Yup, we're all just one big happy family." Xavier commented under his breath.

"Indeed." Voldemort replied, as he turned to his Death Eaters. "KILL THEM!"

Instantly, the Death Eaters, numbering almost thirty, launched themselves at Xavier, Harry, and Ron. Xavier and Harry immediately went on the defense. Xavier began to call out orders.

"Severus, Viktor, Dean, Charlie, George! Stay here! Draco and Zachary, you are in charge of escorting everyone back to Hogwarts. Once you're there, you are not to return. Is that understood?" Xavier belted out.

"Understood!" Draco and Zachary yelled in unison as they bolted for the Leaky Cauldron.

With that taken care of, Xavier put all of his attention back in defending himself from the Death Eaters. Suddenly, he heard it.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

"Everyone down!" Xavier screamed.

The small group of NOA members ducked just in time as the green flash flew over their heads. With this, Xavier decided that they were going to need to work together and in an instant, was in Harry's head.

_"Harry, we need to link up." Xavier said calmly._

_"I really hate it when you do that." Harry replied snidely as he worked on linking everyone together with Xavier._

Moments later, everyone was linked in the same kind of brain chain.

_"Alright, try not to talk to much in here." Xavier ordered. "We're going to slowly start backing out. Don't go too fast. We still need to be able to defend ourselves from the Death Eaters. Ok?"_

_"Ok." was the response heard around him._

_"Good."_

Their situation looked grim. They were easily outnumbered and, while they hadn't been able to break behind them to cover their retreat, they were getting close. Suddenly, Zacharias Smith left himself open after launching a rather nasty attack at Dean. Xavier leaped forward.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

The green blast hit Smith square in the chest and in a flash, he collapsed to the floor.

_"Don't be afraid to kill. It's us or them." Xavier said to the group internally._

For what seemed like hours, the small group worked their way on backing themselves up towards the single door leading towards the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly, Rodolphus Lestrange and Alecto Carrow launched themselves forward. Harry and Ron stepped forward.

_"Avada Kedavra!" _Ron cried.

_"Sectumsempra!" _Harry screamed.

Ron's Killing Curse hit Lestrange in the forehead, blowing him backwards off of his feet. He laid on the floor, lifeless eyes staring out into the sky. Harry's curse hit Carrow in the throat, blood rushing from everywhere. None of the other Death Eaters paid any attention to her as she collapsed to the ground, clutching at her throat as she bled to death. Just moments later, she fell to the floor. The pool of blood grew and grew around her as she continued to writhe and squirm in an attempt to get up. However, soon she gave her last shake and was dead.

Finally, the small group backed into the door to the Leaky Cauldron. Xavier spoke out loud this time.

"We can't all go at once. Keep defending. When I say your name, duck down beneath everyone and get through the door." Xavier said calmly.

Xavier waited a couple moments before starting to get everyone out.

"Charlie!"

Immediately, Charlied dropped to the floor and, after opening the door, crawled through.

"Xavier, you know that someone's going to be left here alone." Harry stated.

"No." Xavier replied.

"How?" Harry asked confused.

"You, Ron, and I will go at the same time." Xavier replied shortly.

"Ok." Harry replied as he deflected a curse from Selwyn.

"Dean!" Xavier screamed.

Dean also fell to the floor before hurriedly crawling through the door. The crowd of Death Eaters were getting closer as people left. Harry and Xavier were good but they couldn't deal with these kind of odds. Xavier knew that they need to get people out quicker.

"George! Severus!"

George and Severus both ducked and quickly got through the door, just before a Killing Curse hit right where Snape's head and been moments before.

"Viktor, get out!" Xavier yelled.

Viktor hesistated for a moment, obviously not wanting to leave the battle. Suddenly, a large red blast hit right above his head. Coming to his senses, Viktor turned and exited Diagon Alley.

"We're not going to be able to make it out of here at the same time, Xavier." Harry said in sudden realization.

"I know. But, we need to try. I'm not leaving any of you behind." Xavier stated.

"Ok. You ready, Ron?" Harry asked, looking at his friend who just deflected a particularly powerful Cutting Curse.

All Ron did was nod.

"GO!" Xavier screamed as he turned for the door.

Xavier slipped passed the door followed closely by Harry. However, they noticed something was wrong. Ron hadn't followed. They looked up just as Ron waved his wand towards the door. Two things happened. A patronus launched its way through the door. Once it made its way through, the door slammed shut.

The small terrier stopped at Harry's feet.

_"I'm sorry, Harry. There was no way for us all to get out of there. I failed you. I had to make sure you and Xavier got out. You're the important ones." _the terrier spoke in the unmistakable voice of Ron Weasley.

_"Xavier, thank you for trusting me. Harry, you've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I know that you're going to be angry and sad because of this. Don't be. I did what I could to help you. You have to stop him, Harry. Oh, and one last thing, Harry. Tell Hermione that I love her."_

And with that, the small dog disappeared. For a moment, Xavier noticed that Harry appeared to be in shock. Suddenly, he bolted for the door. Xavier grabbed him from behind and had to use every bit of his strength to keep him from approaching his friend.

"NOOOOOO! RON! STOP! YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT THROUGH! RON! RON! **RON!"** Harry screamed through the tears that ran down his face. He kept bucking and fighting and trying to get away from Xavier, but he couldn't get away.

Xavier had noticed that things had been pretty calm on the other side of the alley. He had heard a few spells but nothing too powerful. And that's when it hit him. The Death Eaters were playing with him. Both Ron and Harry. They were prolonging the inevitable just for the effects it would have. Xavier just prayed that they would do it soon.

"NOOO!" Harry continued to cry.

Just as he said that, it sounded like a herd of horse were pounding on the brick wall that magically concealed the door to Diagon Alley. It was obvious to Xavier that they were not going to go easy on him. Ron would suffer. He would suffer a lot before he died.

**_"RON! I'M SO SORRY! RON! RON! RRROOOOOONNNN!"_**

For what seemed like an eternity, the sound of powerful spells rained on the brick wall. Then, just as quickly as they had started, they stopped. Harry finally stopped fighting Xavier. He broke down into deep sobs as the silence embraced him. Xavier sat him up on the floor and made his way to the door. Hitting the right combination of bricks, Xavier opened the magical gateway to Diagon Alley. Just as he expected, there was no one to be seen. However, Xavier looked down to see the battered and bruised body of Ron Weasley. Suddenly, Ron spat out some blood.

"Ron!" came the cry from inside the Leaky Cauldron as that simple sound forced Harry out his cries out into the Alley. He sat down next to Ron. Xavier assessed the damage. It was obvious that he had some broken bones. There was definitely some internal bleeding. Match that with the external bleeding that marked up his chest and Xavier knew. Ron Weasley was dead. It just was taking awhile.

Harry couldn't see that.

"Ron, come on, get up. Come on, man. I know you can do it. _Please_." Harry pleaded with Ron. Ron just smiled.

"Harry, it's ok." Ron said weakly as he continued to spit up blood.

"No, Ron, please don't leave me." Harry begged.

"Harry...I won't le-ea-ve you. T-t-take g-good c-car-re of-f G-Gin-ny. S-s-she really love-s-s you." Ron added, getting weaker by the moment.

"No. You can't go." Harry said quieter, the truth finally settling on him.

"M-make sure Herm-m-mione is hap-p-py. S-he deserves i..." Ron said as his head fell to the side.

"NO!"

Xavier cried as Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived, the Savior of the Wizarding World, broke. He took the body of his best friend and hugged it. He cried into it and occasionally he would say something. None of it ever made sense. Xavier expected it would have to Ron.

"Harry." Xavier said softly.

No response.

"Harry." he said again.

"What?" Harry replied through his sobs.

"We need to go. It's not safe here." Xavier stated.

"Can we take him with us?" Harry asked, looking at Xavier.

Xavier realized that he wasn't dealing with Harry as he usually was. At least for the time being, Harry had reverted back to when he had first met Ron. Xavier knew that it wouldn't be a permanent thing. But, they would have to deal with it.

"Yes, Harry, we can take him with us." Xavier said kindly. "Take my hand."

Harry grabbed Xavier's hand. The second he did, Xavier turned returning them to Hogwarts. In tow, the body of one of the bravest people Xavier had ever met.


	18. The Darkness Consumes

06/10/2006

He needed to be strong. That's what Harry kept telling himself. He had been saying that for two days now.

It hadn't worked. He felt like he was falling apart like he was being stretched to the point of no return.

Harry hadn't slept more than an hour in a row since Diagon Alley. Almost like an alarm clock, his dreams would suddenly include the sound of hundreds of spells smashing against a brick wall. Then, he would wake up. He couldn't stand it. He kept seeing the eyes of Ron just as the lights went out.

Harry had gone over the moment in his head over and over again. He had tried to find something he could have done. Something that could have changed everything. But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find anything. His best friend was gone. Whether there was a huge mistake or the plan went perfectly, it didn't matter. They could have killed Lord Voldemort and Merlin in one stroke and Harry doubted that he could have felt happy.

However, one good thing had come out of their mission other than Ollivander and the goblin's allegiance. Lord Voldemort was now officially out in the open. His small slip of casually admitting his actual identity had apparently been heard by one of the random people running passed. They had in turn reported it to every Wizarding publication in Europe. While the Daily Prophet had tried to cover it up as a joke, the damage had been done. Within an hour, reporters from almost every single Wizarding news source in Europe was interviewing Harry.

Harry had told them about the Ministry hiding the Lost Texts. From there, he had briefly explained the process of resurrections and its rules and such. Later that evening, rushed copies of Harry's interview were being published all over the continent. A few hours later, the combined leaders of France, Germany, and Bulgaria issued a brief statement. It read that these countries were aware of the secret identity of Minister Roper. They stated their intention to send representatives to ensure Roper's compliance with their demands. He was to step down and submit to their small force for questioning and possibly be brought up on charges. However, the representatives disappeared following their meeting with Lord Voldemort and weren't heard from again.

Their perceived disrespected seriously angered Voldemort. The next morning, he released his own statement.

_"Witches and Wizards of England, we have been threatened. I shall not be threatened for I am not Marcus Roper, the simple Minister of Magic, that I have pretended to be. No, I am Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard of our time! Allied with the most formidable Wizarding army in the world, I shall not be defeated. I challenge the Ministers of Europe to attack me if they dare. However, be aware, that any attack shall be returned with ten times the vengeance directed at me."_

The statement sent England into a whirlwind. Reports were that the magical population of the large island had largely disappeared. They had either fled or gone into hiding. People within Hogwarts had lost touch with their family on the outside. Everyone was scared.

However, this statement gave the NOA the traction they needed. Hermione sent a letter to the foreign ministers of Europe stating their intention to stay and fight Lord Voldemort and that anyone would be welcome to join them. Within hours, members of the Italian, Polish, and Greek Ministries had gathered at Hogwarts to join the NOA. Hermione and Xavier estimated they had nearly five hundred soldiers ready for active duty.

Despite this, Harry couldn't help but feel lost in the world. Arthur and Molly Weasley had chosen to have Ron's funeral service in the Great Hall. As Hermione put it, with The Burrow gone, there was no place Ron would have felt more at home than The Great Hall, Ron's favorite place in the castle. Everyone knew that Ron's favorite part of the day was mealtime and so it was totally appropriate for the service to be held there.

Earlier that morning, Arthur and Molly had approached Harry.

"Harry?" Arthur asked as he and his wife approached him.

"Mr. Weasley, what can I do for you?" Harry replied, strongly suspecting the intention of their visit.

"Molly and I would be honored if you would speak at the service this afternoon. We understand if you do want to. We think it's what Ron would have wanted." Arthur said, failing to hold back silent tears that lined his face.

"Harry, you weren't just Ron's best friend. You were as much of a son to us as anyone. While we weren't you blood relatives, we had hoped that you came to think of us as more than just Ron's parents." Molly said, doing a remarkable job of holding back the tears that he was sure she was fighting.

"She's right." Arthur said, not giving Harry time to reply. "If you need anything, we'll always be there for you."

"I appreciate that. But, I think that I should be the one saying that to you, not the other way around. Ron was your son. Everyone will understand if you need help and I will be there to give it to you." Harry stated. He wasn't sure if he was crying and didn't bother to check.

"So, Harry, will you do the honors for us?" Molly asked quickly.

"Of course." Harry replied sadly.

Arthur stepped forward and pulled Harry into a tight embrace. Moments later, he felt the strong and supportive arms of Molly wrap themselves around both of them. Harry thought about all the times that the Weasleys had been there for him and came to a stunning realization. Although not blood related, they were the parents he'd never had. Sure, he missed his parents everyday and hardly a day went by where he didn't think of them. However, Molly and Arthur had been there for him when they couldn't.

Harry broke from the hug and looked deep into their eyes.

"I will get them." Harry said strongly. "We'll get all of them."

"I know you will, Harry." Arthur said softly.

* * *

Several hours later, the stage was set. The Great Hall had been cleared of its usual long tables. Instead, Xavier had set up several hundred gold chairs, identical to the ones used at the funeral of Albus Dumbledore. The candles that were usually lit about the heads of those seating below had been extinguished. This gave a very haunting effect to the hall as it was only lit by the dim light that was let in through the large windows at the end of the hall.

At the front stood a single podium and, just a short ways behind it, the casket holding the body of Ronald Weasley.

It took only a few minutes for the Hall to fill up with NOA members and their foreign allies. Although technically the funeral was closed to the people who had decided to inhabit the castle, the people that needed to be there were there. In the front sat the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione, and Xavier. The rest of the seating was open to whoever wanted to sit there.

Finally, the time came for the service to start. Xavier made his way to the front.

"Today, we remember a dear friend to all of us. Many of us knew Ron and knew how wonderful he was. But, none of us knew Ron like his friends and his family. The family has asked Harry Potter to speak today. Harry?" Xavier welcome the crowd before he motioned to Harry.

Harry slowly stood up. He could feel himself fighting the urge to run as he slowly ascended the steps to the podium. Harry hadn't written anything to say. He knew that he wouldn't need it. There was too much to say already.

Finally, Harry approached the podium. He looked out on the crowd. He only recognized about half of the crowd. The other half was either too far away or a person he didn't know. It was then that Harry was hit with how much support they were getting.

During this time, Harry couldn't speak. He could only observe. He slowly turned and faced the casket. It was long and made of a cherry wood. It was beautiful. Harry looked at Ron. If Harry hadn't watched Ron die, he could have been sleeping, just like Dumbledore had been.

Tears fell freely as Harry looked upon his old friend and thought of the times they had had together. Finally, Harry turned around and addressed the crowd.

"Thank you all for coming today. You can't tell me how much it means to me. As many of you know, Ron was my best friend. While I've met many and traveled far, I never met anyone who was as good a friend as Ron. Ron was the first person in our year that I met. Unlike some of you, I was raised by Muggles. I had no idea how to get onto the train station. His family was kind enough to show me how. From there, I sat with him on the train. It was then that we hit it off. Ron didn't treat me like a celebrity, even though at age 11, I was probably the most famous wizard in England. He treated me like a friend, like a person."

"Ron wasn't perfect. He wouldn't have wanted me to stand up here and tell you how much of an angel his was. He had his flaws. He could get frustrated easily and sometimes was a little to pragmatic. However, Ron was the best kind of friend you could ask for. He believed me. Even when the rest of the world told me I was crazy, he stood by me. He told me to ignore the world and trust my instincts. If not for Ron Weasley, I know that I would not have survived the Second Wizarding War. But, beyond that, I know that I would be a much smaller person. I know that some part of me would have been different."

"However, I was not the only person to be close to Ron. He loved someone for almost as long as I can remember. I don't think he always knew it, but in the end, he figured it out. I speak, of course, about Hermione Granger, his fiancée. Ron's ability to be a good friend to me was only eclipsed by his love for Hermione. During our quest to destroy Lord Voldemort, he did everything he could to protect her and keep her from harm, often putting himself in the way. I have no doubt that Ron would have been great as a husband and a father. Unfortunately, we will never know."

"Ron's last words to me tell of his love for Hermione. All he said was 'make sure Hermione is happy. She deserves it.' As he had given his life for me, the only person really on his mind as he died was Hermione."

"Anyone who knew Ron knew a strong person. A person aware of his faults and shortcomings, but someone who was always working to overcome them. During our time at school, Ron would often wait until the last minute to do everything. Even then, Hermione sometimes had to come in and cover for him and myself. Eventually, Ron realized that his work was his own. His work with me in the Auror Department proved that. As the Assistant Head and then the Head of the Auror Department, I was always quick to assign Ron our most difficult cases. His ability to handle pressure and think strategically was essentially to our success as a team."

"But, above all of that, Ron was a family man. Ron loved his family more than anything. I know that he considered Hermione and myself family, just as I consider them to be the same. While Ron sometimes felt pressured to stand up to the great legacies his older siblings had left in their wake, Ron never failed to perform. In life, Ron left his own wake. But, that did not keep him from being an exceptional son and brother. The anger and the grief that Ron exhibited upon witnessing the death of his older brother, Fred, told me just how protective of his family he was. While many people died in that single explosion during the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron personally felt guilty for Fred's death."

"Ron's life was one of joy. So, too, his death should be. I can only imagine what Ron would say if he knew that we were all standing out here, weeping over his death. Ron's life was full of wonder and amazement. With Ron, we went places and saw things that most wizards only dream of. I consider myself to be the luckiest person in the world to have been able to consider Ronald Bilius Weasley my best friend."

Finally coming to an end, Harry turned to face Ron one final time.

"Ron, I am so sorry it came to this. But, your bravery and your sacrifice will not go unnoticed. You were the best friend I could have asked for. I am thankful for every day that I had with you and I know that someday I will see you again."

Harry couldn't contain it anymore. He slumped down on the floor in front of the casket and wept. Almost instantly, he felt the warm touch of someone embracing him. Looking up, he saw tears in her eyes but he knew that Hermione would always be there to support him. Soon enough, the entire Weasley family joined Harry and Hermione on the stage. Together, they watched as Xavier stood up and made his way to the casket.

With one flick of his wand, the casket was closed and sent, unsupported, down the center aisle of the Great Hall. Within moments, it was buried in its new location just outside the school.

Hermione looked at Harry.

"Harry, it's going to be ok. I know it." she said through her tears.

Without looking up, Harry replied.

"Maybe one day, I will agree with you. But, until Lord Voldemort is dead, it will never be ok."

"We'll get him, Harry." Hermione said as she pulled Harry off the floor. "I know we will."

* * *

Harry had been strong all day. Now, it was her turn.

After the brief service, the Weasley family, Harry, Xavier, and Hermione all gathered in the Gryffindor Common Room. For a short while, no one spoke. It seemed like everyone was too shocked by their loss to know what to do. However, George could never stay quiet for too long. Soon enough, the Common Room was filled with laughter as George re-enacted various stories of Ron. While each story was painful reminder of what she had lost, Hermione couldn't help but laugh along with them.

Ron had proposed to her such a short time before. All she could think about was everything she was going to miss. She missed Ron's laugh, his occasional insensitivity, and his lack of tack. She would miss everything about him. She would miss everything that they didn't have.

Trapped in her misery, Hermione still managed to notice Harry as he slipped out of the Common Room and up the stairs to the Dormitory. Slowly and without alerting anyone else, she followed him. She found him sitting on Ron's old bed, head in his hands as he wept.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered.

Immediately, Harry straightened up and wiped his eyes.

"Hey, Hermione, what's up?" Harry asked casually.

"Nothing really. Just checking to see why you're up here." Hermione stated frankly.

Harry just sat there on the bed.

"So?" Hermione added.

Again, Harry remained motionless.

"Harry, you can't do this. You can't shut off. Not now." Hermione stated as she approached him.

Finally, he broke.

"Why not? Why? My best friend is dead! He was your fiancée, Hermione! Do you not remember that?" Harry shouted.

"Of course I remember that! I know what Ron meant to both of us. He was the brother you never had!" Hermione replied, not standing down.

"Yeah, he was! Now he's gone! Not only that, there was nothing I could do about it! We screwed things up so badly that nothing we could do would have saved him!" Harry screamed in reply.

"Harry, you knew that there were going to be casualties. So did I. I knew that every time we went out there, there was a chance that someone wasn't coming home! Guess what, Harry? Ron didn't come home! He was one of the casualties! And it hurts! It hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. But I fight it. I fight it because I know that Ron wouldn't want us to succumb to that and because we still have a war to fight." Hermione replied, starting to calm down.

"So does that make me weak?" Harry asked, his rage still present.

"Do you want to give in?" Hermione asked.

"To Voldemort, no. To my anger and to my sadness, yes." Harry stated.

"You're only weak if you give in, Harry. If you fight it, that makes you stronger than ever." Hermione reminded him.

"Hermione, I've been fighting it my whole life. I've never once given into that. I'm sick of fighting. I'm sick of doing this." Harry stated.

"So what are you giving up?" Hermione asked.

"No, of course not. I just want to be able to feel." Harry replied.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked as she sat next to him on the bed.

"I feel like the only way for me to fight it is to hide it, to block it. I have to pretend that it doesn't exist." Harry said as he stared at the floor.

Hermione sat and thought for a moment before she responded.

"Harry, we need you." Hermione stated.

Suddenly, Harry stood and quickly flipped over the table next to his own old bed.

"I know, Hermione! You always need me! Everyone always needs me! Can't someone else be needed for once? Why is it _**always **_me?" Harry yelled.

"Because you're the best of us, Harry. You're the strongest." Hermione replied, standing and looking into his eyes.

Harry turned and made his way to the door. He turned to face Hermione.

"I'm sick of being strong."

With that, Harry walked out the door.

Hermione sunk back to Ron's old bed. Sadness consumed her. Ron was dead. Harry was on the verge of giving up. Hermione didn't know what to do. She laid for hours and cried. Finally, the fatigue set in and she fell asleep.

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning as the sun crept into the window next to her bed. As she sat up, it took her awhile to take in her surroundings. Finally, she recognized that she was in the Boys Dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. Suddenly and in a rush, memories of her argument with Harry flooded back to her. She wished with all her heart that it was a dream. However, she knew that it couldn't be.

After doing her best to fix her hair, she descended the steps into the already bustling Gryffindor Common Room. In fact, every one of the Tower's usual occupants were there. All of them, except one. Hermione scoured the crowded Common Room looking for Harry. She wanted to talk to Harry again and discuss what had been said the night before.

However, she decided that maybe she would let him have his alone time. She spent the next couple hours reading and having some small conversation with Ginny and Bill. Eventually, her desire to talk with Harry overwhelmed her. She wanted to ask someone where Harry was without seeming to worried. With that, she decided that asking a Weasley was a bad idea. One quick look around the room and she spotted her target.

She approached Viktor Krum.

"Viktor, have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"No. I hafe not see Harry. Vhy do you ask?" Viktor replied.

"Just wanted to talk to him. Thanks." Hermione replied.

She was just about to walk away when he added something else.

"You know, I saw him leaving the Common Room last night, he looked very upset. Even more upset that he had looked during the Funeral."

Hermione immediately began to prod around the Common Room. The consensus was the same. The last time anyone had seen Harry was shortly after their argument the night before. Hermione decided not to worry the Weasleys with her suspicions and went to the one person who she thought would be able to help in this situation.

She quickly exited the Common Room and hurriedly made her way to the Headmaster's Office. She cautiously approached the gargoyle that guarded the Office.

"I would like to speak with the Headmaster." she stated politely.

"Of course, Minister." it replied as it stepped out of the way.

Confused, Hermione quickly ascended the stairs and moved to the Office of Xavier Mitchell. Just as she expected, he was seated behind his desk.

"Xavier?" Hermione prodded softly.

Slowly, Xavier looked up from the work in front of them.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Xavier asked, obviously reading her worried face.

For some reason, now that she was there, Hermione couldn't say. Suddenly, Xavier stood and made his way around the desk to her. He stood right in front of her and spoke again.

"Hermione, what's wrong" Xavier asked again, even gentler than before.

For some reason, this was the encouragement she needed to speak.

"I think Harry is gone."

Xavier's face turned to one of immediate shock.

"What?" Xavier replied.

"After the service last night, he and I got into an argument. He was pretty upset. He left the Common Room and that was the last time anyone saw him." Hermione explained quickly.

Xavier immediately went to pacing. Then, he turned to Hermione.

"Can you get me Severus, Viktor, and Draco?"

* * *

Minutes later, they were assembled in Xavier's office, having just been told Hermione's suspicions.

"He's gone?" Draco asked.

"It would seem so." Xavier replied. "Does anyone have any idea where he would go?"

No one spoke.

"Let's try something different. Does anyone know of any way to get a hold of Dumbledore?" Xavier asked.

"No." Snape replied simply. "I believe that Dumbledore would contact us, not the other way around."

"I thought the same." Viktor added.

"Great." Xavier replied. "What do we do?"

"Well, we could tell everyone he's out with Dumbledore." Hermione suggested.

"Or rather that he will be out of contact while doing some undercover work for us." Severus added.

"Are you sure he's not here?" Draco asked Hermione.

"Yes. But, everyone that's not a Weasley is searching the grounds for him as we speak. I don't expect them to find anything." Hermione replied.

"Great." Draco replied in disgust.

"Alright everyone, we're just going to have to do what we can. If we find him, great. If not, we'll think of something." Xavier said, obviously dismissing everyone.

Taking the hint, everyone began to make their way out. Hermione was almost to the stairs when she heard someone say her name.

"Hermione?" Xavier asked.

Xavier was walking around to the other side of his desk as she turned around. By the time she got to the desk, he had already taken his seat.

"Will he be back?" Xavier asked with concern.

"I don't know." Hermione said, hopelessness beginning to consume her.

"What was he like yesterday, Hermione?" Xavier asked.

"Angry. He's always felt like the whole world rested on his shoulders. He's tired of it." Hermione replied.

Xavier sat for a moment before he replied.

"You feel responsible." Xavier said. It was not a question.

"Yes." Hermione replied.

"Why?" Xavier asked in reply.

"He needed me after Ron's death and I needed him. Instead of comforting him, I lectured him." Hermione replied.

"You can't feel responsible Hermione." Xavier stated again.

"Why not, Xavier? He needed me. I should have just been there. I should have just let him talk. Maybe if I hadn't have said something he would still be here." Hermione said as tears rushed down her face.

"Maybe. But, in the end, he'll learn something from this. If you had just let him talk, he might not have learned anything at all." Xavier replied.

"Have you ever had anyone close to you die, Xavier?" Hermione asked pointedly.

Xavier stood and walked over towards the window and looked outside. She noticed how the dark light given off by the cloudy day outside illuminated his face. He looked sad.

"Yes." Xavier said simply.

"Who?" Hermione prodded.

"My whole family."

"What do you mean?" Hermione replied.

"My parents were both Squibs. So, when they were younger, my parents got them back into the Muggle world. However, they managed to have two incredibly magical twins, Rich and myself. I know very few wizards that are stronger than my brother and myself. How my parents gave birth to the two of us, I'll never know." Xavier started.

"So what if they were Squibs?" Hermione asked innocently.

"Very few people know that my brother was among the few people who came to Hogwarts and didn't come to support Harry. He found where Voldemort was and joined him. If Voldemort had survived, my brother would have been a true Death Eater. He loved and hated our parents at the same time. He loved who they were and hated what they were. So, about two years ago, he finally broke. He blew my father out the kitchen window and then tortured my mother. That day, my family died."

"But, Rich..." Hermione started before stopping himself.

"He's dead too." Xavier stated coldly.

"I'm so sorry, Xavier." Hermione stated.

"It's ok." Xavier said, tears welling up in his eyes. "I have some work I need to do, Hermione."

"Ok." Hermione said, noticing the hint. "Thank you."

* * *

Hermione had done her best to keep them away. However, nothing she could do could stop the voices in her head. The ones that told her that it was _her _fault Ron died. That is was _her_ fault that Harry was gone. That everything was _her_ fault.

She had gone on a walk to be alone. She had gone to get away from the Weasleys. Every one of them brought back memories. Great memories turned terrible. Terrible memories turned worse. Every one of them with their freckles and red hair all to remind her of Ron.

And everything of Ron reminded her of Harry, his best friend. The friend who had been there for anything. Now, he was gone and no matter what Hermione told herself, it was her fault. If she had just been there instead of trying to tell him off, he would be on this walk with her. They would support each other as they dealt with their loss. Now, she was on her own. While that wasn't entirely true, she felt like it was. Sure she had the Weasley's and even Xavier if she wanted to stretch things that far. However, none of that would match up to what she had in Harry and Ron.

Darkness consumed her. The two most important people in her life were gone. To make things worse, it was her fault. If she hadn't pushed Ron, he might not have suggested their plan. And if Ron hadn't died, there would be no reason for Harry to leave. Their loss was the worst thing she could have imagined. Dumbledore's death had been terrible and so had Sirius'. Lupin and Tonk's deaths had been terrible as well. But, the death of her fiancée and the disappearance of her best friend was beyond anything she could have possibly imagined.

Hermione walked without realizing where she was going, not realizing she was walking towards the tallest tower. She didn't know what her intention was, but she knew that she would find out soon enough.

* * *

Xavier had tried for a few moments to work on what he had needed to after Hermione left. However, their discussion of Harry and Xavier's family left him in no mood to work, so he went on a walk. Within moments, he was out of his office and heading for the grounds. Once he was outside, his mind began to wander.

_Rich. _He wanted to kill his brother so bad. He just wanted to do it. But, could he? In the end, could he kill his brother? He wasn't sure. He wanted to say yes. He wanted to say that it was war and Rich chose the wrong side. But, could he be that heartless? Could he become his brother to kill his brother?

He wandered the grounds for quite awhile, making his way all the way towards the lake. He lost himself in thought numerous times. Finally, he turned around and took a look at the castle. The place where the seed had been planted. While he was learning to be an Auror, Rich was learning how to be a Death Eater.

Suddenly, he noticed something strange atop the Astronomy Tower. He looked hard at it. In order to determine its identity, Xavier sprinted towards the Tower. Xavier prayed and hoped that it wasn't what he hoped it was. With each step, Xavier could feel the fear growing inside of him.

Once he was within range, his fears were realized. Atop the Astronomy Tower stood Hermione Granger. Xavier couldn't possibly know what she was feeling. However, he knew the guilt that she felt earlier. While he couldn't believe that that guilt alone would cause her to try and kill herself, Xavier didn't want to take any chances. For all he knew, she could very well just be standing out there, enjoying the view. It really was beautiful looking out from the Astronomy Tower.

However, he soon realized that this was not a harmless night walk. Hermione bent down and set, what Xavier could only assume was, her wand down. From there, Xavier watched as she stepped up on the highest point of the wall surrounding the viewing area. She appeared to be talking to herself. Whether she was talking herself into or out of what she was doing, Xavier didn't know.

Xavier just stood and watched. He wanted to stop her. To tell her to step down, that people around still cared about her. But, he couldn't. He was frozen, seemingly helpless to watch as Hermione Granger stood atop the tall tower. Even from down below, Xavier could tell she was crying. Xavier could only assume that the tears weren't for her but were for her two lost friends.

Xavier was about to leave, convinced that she would not jump. Suddenly, she did. As her body plummeted towards the ground, Xavier acted quickly. He pulled out his wand. This was no time for being clever. Whatever he chose to do needed to work. He pointed his wand at her as she fell.

_"Aresto Momentum!"_ Xavier screamed.

Xavier knew it had worked instantly. The second the spell hit her, her speed slowly drastically. Then, Xavier added something else to ensure her safety. He pointed his wand towards the ground below her.

_"Spongify!"_

The ground below her immediately turned into a soft, sponge-like material. Hermione hit it with a small thud as she was flopped back into the air and landed again. Xavier ran over to the place where Hermione had landed as fast as he could.

When he got there, he thought he had failed. She laid there, completely peaceful. Xavier knelt down and pulled her in close to him.

"Hermione?" Xavier whispered.

Instantly, her eyes snapped open.

"Xavier?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

Hermione immediately starting sobbing. Xavier pulled her in and held her tight to his chest. He didn't know what else to do.

"They're gone!" she cried out. "They're gone and it's my fault!"

Xavier pulled her away and looked straight in her eyes.

"Hermione, it is not your fault! If its anyone's fault, it's mine. I agreed to Ron's plan. It was my fault we didn't get out when we did. There was nothing we could have done different." Xavier said strongly.

"No! If I hadn't gotten so upset with Harry, he would still be here." Hermione cried out through her tears.

"Hermione, you can't blame yourself for that!" Xavier said looking at her again.

Hermione finally gave in to her tears. For awhile, they just sat there. Xavier held her in his arms and stroked her hair as she sobbed at the loss of her best friends. Eventually, she quieted down enough to move. Xavier then scooped her up into his arms and took her back to his office. He laid her down in his bed. The second she hit the mattress, she fell into a deep sleep.

Xavier pulled out his wand again and conjured his Patronus.

"Tell the Weasleys that Hermione is with me and don't worry about her."

Once the great eagle was gone, Xavier conjured a chair next to Hermione and watched over her. Within a few minutes, he too was asleep.

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning in an unfamiliar place. It took her awhile to notice Xavier seated next to her, asleep. With that, she could only assume that she was in the Headmaster's Suite. She quickly looked around and located her wand which Xavier had retrieved. She pulled herself out of the bed and was about to walk out of the room when she thought better of it. Xavier saved her life the night before. Whether he had followed her out there or was there by chance, he had been there for her. With Ron dead and Harry gone, Xavier was one of the few people she could still count on.

Hermione walked slowly back over to Xavier and knelt in front of him.

"Xavier?" she said quietly, trying to wake him to quickly.

Xavier stirred for a couple seconds before waking up.

"Hey Hermione." Xavier said with a smile.

Hermione noticed that she rarely did see him smile. She figured that it probably had something to do with practically run a war in which his own twin was main contributor to the opponent. Hermione knew that it had to be tough on him.

Hermione leaned in and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you for last night." she said quietly.

"It was nothing, Hermione. I'm just glad I was there when I was. We need to be here for each other. It's all we have left." Xavier said profoundly.

"We're going to need help, aren't we?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. And hopefully, that's what Harry is doing."


End file.
